Bound By Blood
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: In It's a bad bad world Leo and Chris' potion opens the portal to the future before saving Wyatt. Now Chris must deal with his angry older brother and learn about his role in destiny.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is my first Charmed story, but not my first fanfic. I love Chris, and had this idea rolling around in my head for a while, I've just finally found the time to write it out. Please enjoy, and review!

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This story is displacing time just a bit, to make it so Piper has at least two months before the baby's due, but continuity wise is a change in the episode "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World." However, I'm getting rid of all this 'parallel universe' world of evil whatever stuff, so there's only one Gideon, not two, no mirror, etc, you get my point.

Flashbacks appear in _italics. _Premonitions appear in **bold.

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**Disclaimer: **I do not in any way claim to own Charmed, just the creative material of this story.

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**Bound by Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter One: Memories of the Past

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_Falling and crawling  
A fight to stand up  
Memory still haunts me  
In the dead of night  
Over and over  
I felt so small  
But one day I'll be stronger  
And you better watch out  
"Overcome" Within Temptation

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**2018**

_Casseroles spilled over every counter, food that would have been delicious, but tasted rotten and vile in their mouths. A never-eaten, impeccable birthday cake, only a few days old, sat abandoned and covered in foil. The Halliwell Manor bulged and thrummed with the movements of too many people, people who came to gawk and stare and gossip about what would become of the two boys left alone now that she was gone._

_"Oh please, how good of a mother could she have been, she's a club owner!"_

_"There were always so many 'family emergencies' for them."_

_"Not to mention all of the screaming I've heard from this house over the years."_

_"That explains a lot."_

_"I remember when her sister was murdered in this house, what exactly goes on here?"_

_"Is this really a safe environment for the boys?"_

_"There's the father, acting like he's going to stick around this time, I highly doubt it."_

_"The blonde is looking over here, let's move along."_

_Wyatt and Chris sat side-by-side on the couch in the living room, Wyatt trying not to listen to the people around them, trying not to think about why everyone was here; trying and failing. Leo stepped in behind them, and they heard the mutters, mutters about the dead-beat dad pretending he was going to be there for the boys now, everyone knowing that was a lie._

_The throngs stared at Leo, young as he was the first time they saw him. They all wondered what type of job he had, why he was never home. Those who knew Piper remembered the problems she had; the disappointments and empty promises. Who would take care of the boys? _

_Phoebe, her brown hair tied back in a conservative bun, pushed her way through the crowd, her dark and handsome husband one step behind, their daughter following along. She reached Piper's boys, wrapping her arms around the younger one, pulling him into an unreciprocated hug. The boy seemed in shock, not really focusing, not really there, his mind far-off. _

_"Thank heaven they have her," one woman sighed to her friends. "I couldn't imagine what might become of those kids without Phoebe."_

_"I heard she's moving her family into this house as well."_

_"God bless her, sacrificing that much for their sakes."_

_"Well after what happened to the other sister and her children…"_

_"Did they ever find the bodies?"_

_"Not that I heard of."_

_The crowd of people pressed in to gape at the two teenagers, surrounded safely by family. Eyes filled with pity, and relief. Relief that this was not their funeral, that they were not their children, that they would have dinner tonight with their family, and talk about those poor Halliwells, while moving along with their life, eventually forgetting. Something those boys, their father, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousin could never do. They would not think about them again until the next year, when they returned for another funeral, another loss in that shrinking family._

_The respectable amount of time spent at the reception passed, and so the friends, co-workers and neighbors began to filter out. Stopping by the seven mourning relatives of the deceased to say their goodbyes, and speak empty words of consolation. As they trickled out, Phoebe's girl, Philena, wrapped her arms around Chris and whispered soothing things into his ear, as if afraid that without her stable touch he would disappear._

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_At sixteen Wyatt had grown into quite a capable witch. His powers, present since he was in utero had multiplied in strength and potency. He could now wield the combined skills of his mother and aunts, but had spent little time refining certain ones. His true interest lay in another power, one he had been able to sense since he was a child, but had never been able to wield; a power he knew belonged to him, but was kept from him by his mother and aunt._

_It had been a week since the funeral, and Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Alec had already moved their things from the gabled mansion they lived in to the old Manor. The place felt crowded, and Wyatt just needed to get some space. _

_He stared into the sun room. Phoebe, Alec, and Lena were fussing over Chris again; Chris, who had gone into some deep state of depression since Piper died in front of him. He had simply gone through the everyday motions without saying so much as a word; his eyes hollow and lost. _

_Wyatt knew what would do everyone in that room a world of good: revenge for his mother. _

_And he would dole it out. _

_He just needed to know who did it. And the only witness was his little brother; the brother who had not even spoken for over a week. He had a way, but no one would allow it._

_He walked quietly into the room, garnering the attention of all of its occupants, save Chris. Alec cast a suspicious glance in his direction – that guy had acted strangely towards him for years. "Aunt Phoebe," he said, making his voice falter in just the right places. She snapped her attention to him instantly. _

_"Yeah, Wyatt?" she asked tenderly._

_"Could I… just be with Chris for a while… you know… in private?" he questioned delicately._

_Phoebe stared at him for a moment, as if trying to sense his true intention – she would never be able to. Then she smiled at him gently. "Of course. Come on, you two, let's leave them alone. We have to go do some grocery shopping anyway. Call us if you need us, Wyatt." She started for the door, Lena and Alec behind her. As she disappeared into the hallway, Wyatt caught Alec staring at him intently. _

_"Something wrong?" Wyatt asked. Alec only shook his head and left him._

_Chris did not so much as look in his direction when Wyatt approached him. "Chris? Hey, Chris!" Wyatt called, kneeling in front of him. "This is for both of us…" Wyatt muttered, raising his hands and placing them on the sides of his brother's face. He concentrated, and Chris' eyes snapped from their dull state to attention as magic channeled from Wyatt into him. _

_He tried to pry Wyatt's hands from him, but it was no good. _

_It was too late.

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_

_**As Wyatt projected himself into Chris' mind, using a strain of telepathy he shared with Phoebe, he could see the shield and protection Chris had created for himself; a kind of shelter to protect him from the memories he wanted to escape. Wyatt easily pushed through the fog and cocoon of silence Chris had made, forcing Chris' mind to show him what he wanted to see.**_

_**Surrounded by bowls with the last remnants of cake batter and frosting, Chris and Piper sat at the kitchen table. The latter was carefully frosting a cake, turning the knife upwards on each go-around to create a pattern. Chris carelessly held one of the frosting-covered spoons up to his mouth, licking the chocolate off of it. **_

_**"Your Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Alec, and Lena will be here soon for your birthday, peanut," Piper said, smiling at him. He grimaced at the use of his baby-nickname. "And your dad will be bringing Wyatt back from his lesson."**_

_**"Is dad going to stay?" Chris asked, his green eyes filled with hope; but his tone betraying none of it. **_

_**"No sweetie, he has to go back 'up there'," she sighed apologetically, as if it were her fault. **_

_**"No big deal," Chris shrugged. "I'm used to it. As long as Aunt Phoebe shows up, I'm cool."**_

_**"You and Phoebe have always been close… I'm grateful for that, given everything that's been going on…" By that Piper had been referring to the numerous problems and challenges Wyatt had caused, and the times Chris had fled the Manor for the sanctity of Phoebe's mansion.**_

_**"Yeah," Chris said, his eyes darting around as if this was really not the conversation he wanted to be having on his birthday. With a mischievous smirk, he turned to his mother again, "So… what'd you get me for my birthday?" **_

_**"Nuh-uh Mister, you aren't getting anything out of me. You'll just have to wait and see."**_

_**"But I hate waiting! I already know what Aunt Phoebe got me!"**_

_**"That's just because she can't keep secrets! Now come on birthday-boy, go in the other room while I clean this place up." He laughed, and then did as she said.**_

_**He never anticipated what was waiting for him in there. **_

_**A gang of darklighters and one demon poised to attack; athame in hand stood in the sun room, smiling maniacally at him. He barely had time to react as arrows sliced through the air, all aimed at him. He pushed some away telekinetically, knocking the poisoned weapons into the walls, shattering the windows. Those he missed, he dodged to the best of his ability. **_

_**Upon hearing the commotion, Piper raced into the room. She pushed her youngest out of the way as the next barrage of arrows raced towards them. The darklighters grinned as she blew up several of their fellows, completely unperturbed by the event. **_

_**"Mom! You have to get out of here!" Chris called while deflecting arrows from hitting him.**_

_**"Do I need to remind you who the whitelighter is in this equation?" she asked. "I would tell you to orb out but…" He could easily finish her statement, she was afraid that if he stopped deflecting to orb he would be hit.**_

_**The demon, a small, wiry looking man, finally decided he had enough of standing around and threw himself into action. Pocketing his athame, he aimed his hands at Chris. The room suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of it, and an instant later, the demon sent a red telekinetic wave at Chris. The power slammed him into the wall, and cut a deep slice in his abdomen. He crashed to the ground haphazardly, his hands clutching the wound as his mother hysterically shouted to him, asking if he was all right. He pushed himself to his feet, watching the demon warily. This time when the demon attacked, Chris was ready.**_

_**Striking with his own telekinesis, Chris held his attacker's powers at bay. The red and invisible energies met in the air between their two creators, neither willing to budge. It hovered unmoving for another moment, and then the red began to gain. Chris screwed up his face in concentration and effort, releasing his power in a torrent, and praying it would be enough. **_

_**It was not.**_

_**The blast of energy sent him reeling. His nerve endings screamed, and his vision burned. His ears rang painfully and only magnified his mother's fearful screams. He was dimly aware of his back smashing into the wall. However, the attack did not end there. The pressure forced the air from his lungs and he could barely breathe. His body pressed against the plaster behind him. It buckled and broke, scattering dust into the air around him, making him choke. **_

**_All the while, Piper watched in horror, kept at bay by the increasing number of darklighters present. "LEO!" she screamed for what felt like the 100th time. "Wyatt! WYATT!" She blew up arrow after arrow, darklighter after darklighter, and still could not reach her youngest. "Chris! Chris!" she cried, tears of frustration and terror pouring from her eyes._**

_**The pain seemed never-ending, and Chris could barely keep his eyes open against the constant pressure any longer. The demon had pulled out his athame, preparing to make the kill. With one final burst of adrenaline (his fight-or-flight mechanism had always been set quite high on 'fight') he was able to pull his hands forward, harnessing an ability that had remained dormant before now. Flicking his wrists at his attacker, he felt a burst of power leave him. An instant later, the demon screamed and was blown into pieces, along with several darklighters, as if Piper herself had done it.**_

_**Chris dropped to the floor, unable to stop what happened next. His combustion of the demon backfired, causing a reverse explosion, one that rocked the manor and sent him into the wall again. It also knocked Piper off of her feet, pushing her backwards. At the same moment, the athame the demon had intended to use to kill Chris sailed through the air and stabbed into her chest. The explosion of darklighter arrows sent poison spraying throughout the room, coating Chris, and seeping into his injuries. **_

_**"MOM! NO!" Chris screamed, staggering to his feet. A darklighter arrow, shot by the only one who had not fled, firmly entrenched itself into Chris' side. He collapsed to his knees as the attacker dark orbed out. Ripping the arrow from his abdomen, Chris all but crawled to his mother's side.**_

_**"Mom, hey, come on," he whispered as he reached her. Sprawled across the floor, the athame's handle protruding from her heart; she tried to tilt her head as he approached. Chris reached for the athame, forcing his rapidly weakening body to obey his commands. He pulled it out and threw it to the floor. Hands hovering over the wound, he waited for latent whitelighter powers to take effect, thinking that if he wished strongly enough for his healing power to develop that it would suddenly work. "WYATT! DAD!" he screamed at the same time, knowing deep down that he would not be able to save his mother.**_

_**"Chri…s…" Piper whispered, grasping at him with her right hand. "Baby…" she added, getting him to turn his saline filled eyes to her face. **_

_**"I'm so sorry!" he said, tears falling freely now. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened! I don't—" **_

_**Blood had pooled around her, a crimson stain that spread as her life leeched away. It covered Chris and he could feel it seeping into his clothes, into his skin.**_

_**"Shhh… It's not… your… fault. Chris… I love… you…"**_

_**"I love you too, Mom, but you can't, you can't die!" he protested, clutching her hand tightly in his own. "WYATT! WYATT, PLEASE! DAD!" He turned his attention back to his mom. "I'll… I'll orb you to Magic School. They'll be able to… somebody there can help." He clutched her tightly and concentrated on orbing away. His body began to disintegrate into the tiny blue and white lights, but immediately reformed. "What's wrong?" **_

_**"You… can't… poison…" Piper whispered, her voice faltering and fading. "It's… not your… fault. Don't blame… yourself… I… love… youuu…" the word elongated as she took her last breath and went limp in his arms. **_

_**MOM! NO! NO!" Chris screamed, an animalistic howl. "Don't leave me, please! Please! MOM!" A moment later, her spirit appeared above her body, hovering in the air. **_

_**"Chris… tell everyone that I'm sorry, and that I love them," she called softly as her spirit was drawn onto another plane, as she began to move on.**_

_**"MOM!" he shouted. Knowing she was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it, he released a scream of primal agony. He collapsed beside his mother, unable to move his body any longer as the poison set in. **_

_**He did not know how long he lay there, feeling his own body dying and realizing that he did not care anymore. He stared up above him, and saw the ghostly figure of his Aunt Paige, forever-young, looking down on him, surrounded by light.**_

_**"Aunt Paige…" he whispered, relieved that she was there to take him, that she would take him to be with his mom.**_

_**"Shhh, Chris, it's not your time, it's not. You have to hang on, okay? Please, for me, for your mom, please hang on, sweetie," she said, tears forming in her transparent eyes. **_

_**"I…" he whispered, but the sound of twinkling orbs and the front door opening sidetracked him. **_

_**"Hey Chris! Guess what!" Wyatt's voice happily called, returning from the magically guarded place where he practiced his magic; a place where he could not sense Chris' calls for help. Chris could hear his footsteps descending the attic stairs. He was unable to move, and even speak at this point. He just watched Paige as she smiled encouragingly and sadly at him. **_

_**"Piper! Chris!" Phoebe called hysterically from the entryway.**_

_**He heard Wyatt, and Phoebe drawing closer, knowing they were only moments away from reaching him. **_

_**"Chris!" Wyatt shouted, his voice laced with panic as he realized something was very wrong. He stopped abruptly as he reached the doorway to the solarium. "Oh my God!" he raced to his brother's side, as Phoebe let out an agonizing cry. "Dad!" Wyatt called. Immediately orbs filled the air and Leo appeared, taking in the scene around him with mounting panic.**_

_**Phoebe fell to her knees beside Chris as Wyatt put his hands over Chris' wounds, healing them nearly effortlessly. Her premonition had come a moment too late. Leo tried to save Piper, but already knew in his heart that it was too late. **_

_**As soon as Phoebe saw Chris would live, she turned to Leo, the question in her eyes clear. **_

_**He shook his head. **_

_**And Phoebe screamed again.**_

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**_

_Chris' body shook as Wyatt removed his hands and severed the psychic link. "Chris…" Wyatt began, his expression somewhere between anger and despair. _

_"What the HELL did you do that for!" Chris demanded furiously; the first words he had spoken since Piper died. He pushed Wyatt away from him, leaping to his feet and taking staggering steps backward. "Why would you do that!"_

_"To find out what happened, since you weren't talking!" Wyatt shouted back._

_"You had no right! NO RIGHT!" he bellowed, his powers acting on his emotions without his permission and throwing Wyatt against the wall._

_"Chris!" Wyatt admonished, tossing Chris like a rag doll with one flick of his hand and a shower of orbs. _

_The crash of Chris' body colliding with the bookshelf greeted Phoebe, Alec, and Lena as they returned arms full of grocery bags. The bags dropped to the floor as the three raced in. Chris used bloody hands to shove his body up, glaring at Wyatt with a hardness he did not know existed within him, the shelves broken and disarrayed behind him. He sent another blast of telekinetic energy at Wyatt, but Wyatt merely gestured and it froze in the still air between them. _

"_You couldn't control it," Wyatt stammered through gritted teeth. "You screwed it up! You ruined everything!"_

_"It wasn't my fault!" Chris shouted back, though he appeared to not even believe himself. "She… she said it wasn't my fault!" he screamed with more fervor this time, the various glass candleholders and vases in the room shattering with his words. _

_"Chris! Wyatt! What are you two doing!" Phoebe cried. But it was too late, Chris' anger and self-hate had reached a maximum, and all objects in the room began to float and sail around him like a tornado. _

_"I didn't! I didn't kill her! I didn't! I didn't kill mom! It wasn't my fault!" he screamed, tears gushing from his eyes. Phoebe tried to reach him, but his out-of-control powers prevented her from getting through._

_"Chris!" she cried. "Chris, please, stop this!" _

_Wyatt watched in disbelief as his brother completely lost it; unsure of his part in this and what he could do to stop it. _

_"Chris!" Lena, the eleven-year-old daughter of Phoebe and Alec shouted in distress. She looked like a miniature version of Phoebe, though her paternity became apparent in her black hair and teal eyes. Reaching out with as much power as she could muster, she sent an empathic hit to her cousin, freezing his emotions. The items spinning around him abruptly hit the floor, and Chris collapsed in the center of them._

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**2004**

Chris shot up in bed. Covered in sweat, and tears in his eyes, he fought off the lingering effects of the nightmare/memory of his mother's death he had re-experienced. "I'm in 2004," he reminded himself. "None of that has happened yet." Forcing away the old ghosts, he mentally chided himself for even thinking about it. He had changed the future, saved Wyatt, and (he hoped) his mother as well. He no longer needed to think about those things. There was just no time or reason to.

He was going home today.

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**A/N: How was that for a first chapter? Want more? Let me know with a review!**

**Have a nice day,**

**Ada. C. Eliana**


	2. Some Things Cannot be Changed

**A/N:**After 350 hits and 9 reviews I could wait no longer to update, so here it is.

Thank you so much to **aleandra, Embry, pmsdevil01, bstant, Briankrause, FastFuriousChick, Nathy1000000, Ayana Starman, **and **Fae Child19**. I was so pleased to see such an immediate response to the first chapter! Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy the second installment!

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Flashbacks appear in _italics. _Premonitions appear in **bold.** Telepathed messages appear in (quotes).

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Charmed or any of the characters. I do however own any OCs and the creative material of this story. 

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**Bound by Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 2: Some Things Cannot be Changed

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_I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul.  
I'd turn it back, it's my fault.  
Your destiny is forlorn,  
Have to live till it's undone.  
I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul.  
I'd turn it back  
And then at last  
I'll be on my way._

_"Jillian" Within Temptation_

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Chris carefully drew the triquetra symbol on the wall of the attic, feeling a miasma of emotions overtake them; not among the least being excitement and fear of the unknown. They had originally thought to use Magic School for the portal, but decided against it. Traveling to a magically protected alternate plane just did not seem like such a good idea – especially if it was not there in the future. Behind Chris, Leo watched the young man intently, hoping to gain some insight into what currently occupied his mind. 

"You excited?" Leo asked finally.

"Yes… and no… I don't know. I've wanted this for so long, and now… I'm just worried that…" Chris broke off as he turned to face Leo, who was his father and wasn't all at the same time.

"That what?"

"What if it hasn't changed after all? What if we only thought we found the demons responsible? What if—"

"Okay, I think I get where you're going with this," Leo said warmly. "And I've had similar concerns…"

"You have?" Chris asked, looking more worried and yet relieved at the same time.

"It's not as if time travel is an exact science either, and you weren't really sure what you were looking for. But I do think that we have figured it out, and saved Wyatt. And now, you can finally go home, and be safe."

"Yeah. Not like all those times you petitioned the Elders to send me back prematurely…" Chris said, just a little spite in his voice.

"You know I'm sorry about that," Leo whispered, truly meaning it.

"I know, I'm just glad you didn't, because if I went back and Wyatt caught up with me…" he whistled softly and then smiled. "But I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore."

Pain flashed across Leo's face as he thought of what Wyatt could or would have done to Chris; to imagine that his Wyatt would do something like that to his own flesh and blood…

"Hey come on now, the future's changed, right?" Chris encouraged, not wanting to leave on a negative note. "Here, help me finish the potion."

While a Power of Three spell had the most chances of producing the desired effect, everyone felt better about using a potion. That way, if Chris ended up where he should not be, he would easily be able to return, rather than becoming trapped with no Power of Three to send him back.

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**2018**

_Surrounded by an auspicious office in Magic School, Chris sat looking glum. Eyes glued to the floor, he awaited the response of the robed woman at the desk. Endurance Clark taught spell writing to the advanced students, and Chris desperately wanted her help. _

_"Chris, I'm sorry, but I cannot justify writing a spell to rid you of your active powers," Mrs. Clark said, her voice gentle yet firm._

_"Not all of them, I'm fine with the ones I have – you know, the orbing and telekinesis – I just don't want anything new to develop. I – I can't risk it," he hissed the last sentence under his breath as an image of the demon exploding and causing his mother's death haunted his mind._

_"It is perfectly natural to fear the onset of new magical abilities, I have seen many cases like this. But your magic is a gift, it is meant for you, and should not be held back."_

_"Seen many cases like this before, huh? So you've seen a lot of kids who kill their mother because they can't control their powers?" His mood had gone from sad and solemn to angry and self-deprecating. Why could no one understand how much he needed this? It was the only way to protect those around him. His heart ached as he once again forced away memories of his mother, tried to pretend as if she never existed – if she did not exist then she never would have died, and it would not have been his fault. _

_He had scoured the Book for a spell that would restrict his magic to his current powers, but could find nothing. He feared asking his family for help, not wanting to see those pity-filled eyes turned on him, hear the words of consolation. He did not need their empty phrases, he knew he killed his mother, and nothing they said would change that._

"_Chris you did not kill your mother," Endurance whispered softly at the angry youth who sat before her, dull green eyes reflecting nothing of his inner turmoil. _

_"You don't know! You weren't there! Now please, help me!" he pleaded, wishing she would just do as he asked. After all, everyone feared his family because they had an unnatural level of magical ability; well, he would not mind being taken down a peg. _

_"I will not stunt your magical growth, and that's final," she kept her voice cold, unwavering._

_"No! This isn't your choice to make!" Chris shouted, leaping from his chair. He shook his hands in frustration and squeezed his eyes shut as his anger peaked and three vases behind the desk blew up. "Dammit! Make it stop, I don't want it!" he screamed._

_"Chris, you need to calm down. You just need to learn how to control this power," she ordered. _

_Chris wrapped his arms around himself, keeping his hands pinned safely to his sides, and then shook his head slowly before orbing out. _

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_His body rematerialized in a dusty area of the Underworld. They all wanted him to learn to control his power? Then fine, he would use it, then be able to control it, and then never use it again. 'Come and get me' he thought angrily, awaiting the idiot demons that lived there. They marched in, all dressed identically in, what else, black. They had apparently sensed his arrival. _

_"All right bastards," he hissed. "My power comes from my emotions, right? Well here goes." As the first in the line of demons powered up an energy ball, Chris released the anger he had been working hard to suppress. With a flick of his hands the first demon exploded, ash scattering where he had once stood. The others moved to attack, and Chris focused on the power. He knew where it came from and how to harness it. However, with each demon he destroyed in the image of his mother's death replayed in his mind, each time worse and more painful than the previous. _

_His newfound power began to go haywire, alternating between combustion and freezing. Both were developing at the same time. He lost his focus as images and sounds spun through his mind. _

_"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened! I don't—"_

_"Shhh… It's not… your… fault. Chris… I love… you…"_

_"I love you too, Mom, but you can't, you can't die!_

_"WYATT! WYATT, PLEASE! DAD!"_

_"It's… not your… fault. Don't blame… yourself… I… love… youuu…"_

_"MOM! NO! NO! Don't leave me, please! Please! MOM!"_

_Vaguely and far-off he was aware of an energy ball burning his shoulder, being thrown backwards and collapsing. More hits, more powers, and he did nothing. Chris took it all as if it were happening to someone else, as if he stood outside his body and watched as an outsider. If he felt pain, he could only believe that he deserved it; deserved that and more for being the cause of his mother's death. Maybe it was supposed to be this way. He wanted to be with his mom; he could just let go and let it happen. Why fight back? What was the point? Why bother?_

_Bright spots popped before his eyes and darkness encroached, shrinking his range of vision. The soft twinkling of orbs brought Chris back to his senses as Phoebe, Lena, and Wyatt appeared holding hands._

_"Chris!" Phoebe shouted in horror, her nephew lying on the ground covered in blood and scorch marks. She turned her attention back to the approaching demons, clearly torn._

_"Don't worry about it," Wyatt advised. He sent a blast of magic at the demons, incinerating those in the front lines, and causing the others to flame out in fright. _

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_Freshly healed, Chris sat with his head in his hands, refusing to meet the worried and frustrated gazes of his family. It seemed like they had formed some sort of intervention. Even **Leo** had actually taken time out of his busy schedule to help. Chris had only seen his father once or twice in passing since the funeral, usually when Leo had been comforting Wyatt, talking to Wyatt, being with Wyatt…_

_"How did you find me?" Chris whispered; his head bowed._

_"Lena felt your distress," Phoebe said. Wyatt turned away from the conversation; completely disgusted that an 11-year-old empath had sensed his brother but he, the Twice-Blessed witch/whitelighter had not. "Chris, you have to talk to us. Going down there to kill some demons is not a good way to work through your issues."_

_"That wasn't why I went down there," he muttered, wishing they would all just leave him alone. His throat felt constricted and words had a difficult time coming out._

_"Why did you, Chris?" Leo asked with only a hint of accusation._

_"It was just these stupid powers, I wanted to get the hang of them where… where I couldn't hurt anyone," he tried hard to sound flippant, but the waver in his voice betrayed him._

_"What powers?" Phoebe asked, vacillating between excitement and concern. Chris shook his head, remembering that only he and Wyatt knew about his role in their mother's death._

_"Nothing, never mind, it's nothing," Chris said too quickly._

_"Well did you?" Wyatt questioned boldly._

_"Did I what?" he fired back, looking up and at his older brother's harsh glare._

_"Get the hang of them? Because if you did, then those demons would be vanquished and we wouldn't have found you half-dead in their cave."_

_"Then obviously I didn't," Chris sneered._

_"Okay, let's all calm down," Alec Kalos, Phoebe's witch husband suggested, making himself known for the first time. "Chris – don't go into the Underworld alone. Wyatt – don't use that tone with your brother. Everybody happy now?"_

_"Trust you to want a quick fix," Phoebe snorted. Alec raised his hands in defeat._

_However Wyatt was not about to let it go that easily. "Out with it, kid, what happened down there?" Wyatt asked coldly._

_"None of your damn business."_

_"You trying to get yourself killed as atonement is my business," Wyatt delivered harshly._

_Lena's eyes widened and she looked between Chris and Wyatt, trying to figure out if Wyatt was right._

_Chris did not say anything, did not deny it because in some way maybe he did go down there to die, he certainly did not put up the fight he could have. Why did he do it? What was wrong with him lately?_

_"Chris," Victor began, filled with concern for his youngest grandson. "Is what Wyatt's saying true?" They all knew Chris blamed himself for Piper's death, but as Chris had nearly been killed himself they did not know why._

_"Why would he do that?" Leo mumbled._

_"Because he killed Mom," Wyatt hissed. Chris' eyes dropped to the floor._

_"What! No he did not! Take that back, Wyatt Halliwell!" Phoebe ordered._

_"Tell them Chris, tell them what happened!" Wyatt shouted. "Tell them what you did!"_

_"She said it wasn't my fault," Chris snapped._

_"Even you don't believe that."_

_"Chris, Wyatt, what the hell are you two talking about?" Phoebe pushed, disturbed by what she was hearing._

_"It wasn't supposed to happen! I – I don't know how it happened!" Chris cried, his voice breaking and his eyes filling with tears. "I didn't mean it!" he added with a slight whimper. _

_The coldness in Wyatt melted instantly as he surveyed his younger brother in so much pain. He mentally yelled at himself for his words. "Chris," Wyatt whispered, approaching him. He put his hand on Chris' shoulder._

_"Don't touch me!" Chris shouted suddenly; and Wyatt's body shattered into a million orbs. Everyone in the room, including Chris gasped, and waited as Wyatt reformed._

_"Piper's power," Leo said; his voice so quiet he might not have spoken at all._

_"Okay, that was not cool," Wyatt muttered._

_"That's why I went down there! I tried to get Mrs. Clark to write a spell to get rid of it but—"_

_"Chris no! You'll learn to control it just like your mom did," Phoebe said gently, stepping up behind him and putting her arms around his shoulders, holding him tight. As she did a vision flashed in her mind of Piper's death. She gasped and everyone stared at her, waiting for her to reveal what she saw, she shook her head at them, tears forming in her eyes. She released Chris and walked around him so she could look into his eyes as she spoke, "Chris, it was not your fault. That must have been a trap." He averted his eyes. Cupping his chin, she tenderly forced him to face her. "Listen to me. Piper did not die because of you, it was the demon. Clearly whoever sent him hoped she would try to blow him up, so it's not your fault. She just as easily could have done it, and, from what I saw, she did try."_

_"Don't – just don't," Chris murmured before his body disappeared in blue and white lights._

_Orbs appeared beside Leo, and everyone flicked their attention there, hoping to see Chris reappear. Instead, a legitimate whitelighter materialized. He ran a hand through his hair as he glanced about the room. "Just missed him," he cursed._

_"Tyler? What are you doing here?" Lena asked. Tyler had been assigned Lena's whitelighter when she turned eight and her powers progressed. The Elders had decided to give young witches their own guardians rather than assign their parents' whitelighter to them. Teenage witches would often get themselves into trouble, and not call their whitelighter if they feared punishment from their parents. So, now they would have their own. Piper's family however had been neglected by the powers that be. Paige had been assigned to them at first, and after she died they thought that Leo, Wyatt, and Chris were whitelighter enough for the family. Piper's death proved them wrong._

_"The Elders sent me to get Chris," Tyler responded, shifting uncomfortably under the stares of the four witches, Elder, and mortal in the room._

_"What! Why?" Phoebe questioned, protective of her nephew. Elder interference rarely meant anything good. _

_"It's nothing bad!" Tyler explained, suddenly realizing how it must have sounded. "They've assigned him a whitelighter, and she wants to meet him without… you know… everybody around…" he stepped a little away from Leo as he spoke._

_"So his new whitelighter isn't you?" Lena asked curiously._

_"One Halliwell is more than enough for this guy," Tyler laughed. "But Chris' whitelighter is great, real top notch. The Elders put a lot of thought into it."_

_"Why don't I know about any of this?" Leo asked, turning a harsh glare on Tyler._

_"The Elders thought it best to keep you out of it – thought it was a conflict of interest."_

_"So everyone up there has been discussing my family and not even including me?" Leo growled._

_"Hey, don't look at me, I'm just a regular grunt. Can one of you sense for Chris, you know, so I can go get him and all?" Tyler almost pleaded, his gaze turning to Wyatt._

_Wyatt rolled his eyes and concentrated, then blinked, his expression turning angry. "He's blocking."_

_Now it was Lena's turn to roll her eyes. "Duh." She took a moment to feel out with her empathy power, using her familial link with Chris to seek him out. "He's at P3," she informed Tyler._

_"Thanks, sweetie. And don't forget, channeling practice tomorrow, 6 a.m. sharp," he reminded her as he orbed out of the room._

_A moment after Tyler disappeared, the family rounded on Phoebe. "What did you see?" Leo demanded of her._

_"Piper's death," Phoebe responded stonily. Dealing with the death of family never became easier, but Phoebe had learned how to hold it together for her family. Piper's boys and her own daughter needed her to be strong for them. It was no longer about her and her sisters, now it was about them, because Phoebe knew that the demons would realize only one Charmed One remained, and that meant that her days were numbered. _

_Right now Leo and Wyatt needed to be supporting Chris. Her youngest nephew needed their help in dealing with what happened to Piper. Their 'tough love' routine would only further alienate him._

_"And Chris' part in it?" Wyatt accused._

_"What do you mean?" Lena asked, rounding on Wyatt. Phoebe stared at Wyatt suspiciously. Ever since Piper died, something about Wyatt had changed. Something that had always been there, lurking beneath the surface; a darkness, a hatred, had begun to rise. Wyatt needed someone to blame, because he needed revenge. And Phoebe would be damned if she let him blame his little brother. This situation had become so very delicate, but now she finally knew what happened, and knew how to get through to Wyatt._

_"Wyatt, it was a trap. Can't you see that?" Phoebe asked. "Darklighters and demons don't usually work together. And no demon blows up quite like that, trust me, I've seen Piper do it enough to know. It was a set-up. From what I saw, the demon wasn't even after Piper." She paused a moment, gauging Wyatt's now thoughtful expression._

_"The demon was after Chris?" Lena gasped, her empathy power picking up the various conflicting emotions in the room: shock, guilt, anger, sorrow. She pushed them aside as best she could to focus on the problem at hand._

_"I think so, sweetie. It looked like if the demon failed to hit him with the athame, then they were hoping that…" Phoebe's sentence stopped short as she thought of what would have happened if that occurred. "…that Piper blowing him up would have a double effect and take out Chris with him."_

_"God," Alec breathed, his hands rubbing Phoebe's shoulders. "Piper would never have gotten over that."_

_"And I don't see how Chris can, either. It wasn't his fault, he just feels that way because it was the first time he used that power. But I know Piper would have wanted it this way if she could choose; she would have done anything for her boys, even die."_

_"Do you… do you think the… the demon planned it alone?" Wyatt asked, finally seeing what Phoebe had been talking about._

_"I don't see how he could have. Most demons don't engage in suicide missions unless they don't know it is one, or someone else has talked them into it," Alec answered for his wife._

_"Could it be… the same demon that killed Aunt Paige and the twins?" Lena whispered. "Maybe… maybe they weren't after Aunt Paige either, maybe they were just trying to get rid of Prue and Nel, but that means… that means…" she stopped, her eyes latched on Wyatt, and in her mind finished her statement. ('But that means that the demon will come after us, next.')_

_('I won't let that happen') Wyatt telepathed fiercely. _

_"Lena, I am still here, you don't have to worry about demons coming after you, because I am going to protect you. I promise. Now what we really need to worry about is Chris. We all know it wasn't his fault, but he still thinks it is, and that's an impossible burden to bear. Okay, so we have to help him, agreed?" Wyatt and Lena nodded furiously, but Phoebe's gaze sought out the one person who had yet to say anything about the sudden revelations. Leo just stared back with a blank, unreadable expression on his face before promptly orbing away._

_

* * *

_

_Tyler found Chris perched on a barstool, his elbows leaning against the countertop. Chris instinctively turned as he heard the orbs collecting, expecting a member of his family but not sensing for who it was in order to keep the block in place. "You?" Chris asked with a snort. His family must be getting real desperate if they had extended to using Lena's whitelighter to try and reach out to him._

_"I'm touched by your delight in my presence, Chris," Tyler joked, sitting down next to the young witch. _

_"You here to talk about my 'issues' too?" Chris asked, keeping his eyes averted from the hazel ones that sought him out._

_"Nope. I'm here because the powers that be decided it was high time to assign a whitelighter to you, and before you get all excited and hug me and tell me how happy you are, you should know, they did not assign me to you. You get the privilege of having one of the wisest and nicest whitelighters of them all – and that's saying something, as I'm sure you know! And she wants to meet you. She's waiting for you."_

_"Is she going to be Wyatt's whitelighter too?" Chris asked quietly. _

_"Nope, all yours, just like with me and Lena."_

_"And why do the 'powers that be' think I need a guardian?"_

_"So that if you ever decide to do something stupid – like go to the Underworld **alone** – you don't have to tell your family once you drag your dying ass home, you have your own personal angel who is sworn to secrecy. And here's the cool part, she's not supposed to tell your Elder daddy about dumb things you do either. So you don't have to worry about getting in trouble. Basically, they just want you to stay safe and alive and all that. Every witch is supposed to have a whitelighter. Your family got away without one for a while because of a lot of factors, but now they think you should have the same right as every other one of your kind."_

_"Is she hot?" he asked, finally looking at Tyler and his arrogant smile._

_"You'll just have to see for yourself."_

_Tyler reached out and took Chris's hand, orbing them both away from the club._

_

* * *

_

_Tyler left as soon as he and Chris hit ground, not even giving Chris a chance to look around him. Clearly he had been instructed to take off like that, and Chris wondered why. Tyler had orbed him into a simplistic room with a few chairs in the corner, and minimal decorations on the wall. _

_"Hello, Chris," a woman said in a smooth alto voice. Chris turned, and faced a pleasant looking 60-something woman sitting at a small desk. "My name is Edith and I am your whitelighter."_

_**

* * *

**_

**2004**

They worked silently over the cauldron for a while, painstakingly following the instructions before them. Finally, the potion exploded, signifying it had finished brewing. As Chris filled several glass bottles with the viscous liquid, Leo spoke again. "Chris, I think I should go with you through the portal."

Chris stopped, half-filled potion bottle in hand and stared at Leo. "What for?" he asked. "We're making extra potion so I can get back if anything goes wrong."

"Yeah, but what if something happens to you when you go through the portal, and you don't have time to come back? At least this way, I'll be able to rest easy. If you went through alone… I would never know if you made it or not."

"Well… if it'll help you to sleep at night, then I can't turn you down," Chris smiled, capping the bottle in his hand.

"When you get to the future, go easy on your brother, okay? He won't know about any of this, and you shouldn't treat him any differently because of it."

"As long as he's not the Ruler of Evil, I'm cool. Now, where is everyone else? I don't think I can stand this waiting anymore," Chris said, tapping his foot impatiently.

As if on cue, orbs sounded and Phoebe, Paige, and Piper appeared before them. Three identical looks of apprehension and happiness covered their faces; a strange combination to say the least. They smiled warmly at their son and nephew.

"Finished the potion?" Piper questioned, a hand on her pregnant stomach and her eyes locked on Chris.

"Yep, and I have about fifty extra – just in case," he added with a smirk.

"And I'll make sure he's where he's supposed to be," Leo offered.

"How are you gonna do that?" Piper questioned.

"I'm going to go with him," Leo responded with a smile.

"Oh really? Since when?"

"It was his idea," Chris put in.

"Well, I just want to know that he got to where he's supposed to be. I can't let him just leave by himself," Leo answered honestly.

"All right then, but be careful and come back!" Piper said.

"Does this mean it's time to say 'goodbye'?" Phoebe asked reluctantly. The others nodded. Phoebe held her hands out to Chris, and he stepped forward to grasp them in his own. "You just go back to that beautiful, peaceful world that you helped create," she said, emotion in her voice. She pulled him into a warm embrace. "I'm really going to miss you," she whispered.

"I'll miss you, too."

They pulled apart, making way for the next farewell. Paige took that as her cue and stepped forward. "Aw. Here comes the huggin' part," she laughed, putting her arms around her nephew. After a moment she drew away from him, and so Chris turned his attention on the person he would have the hardest time leaving: Piper.

They hugged for a moment, Chris closing his eyes as he pictured his mother from his time in his mind, dim realization that he might be holding her for the last time breaking through the positive barrier in his mind.

"Thank you for coming here," Piper said. "I love you."

"I love you so much, mom," Chris whispered with fervor.

They pulled apart slowly, and Chris could see the tears in the eyes of the Charmed Ones. "Now go on. Hurry. And be safe," Piper commanded.

Leo tossed a potion bottle at the wall. It smashed on contact and then the triquetra transformed into the swirling colors of the time portal.

Taking a deep breath, and receiving an encouraging nod from Leo, Chris marched forward into the symbol, Leo on his heels, leaving his mother and aunts behind.

* * *

**2027**

When the pair emerged the dank and dimly lit attic of the Halliwell manor met their eyes. Light streamed through the stained glass windows, casting patterns on the wall. Still filled with random odds and ends, what caught Chris' attention were the various pieces of destroyed furniture, and one particular blood-stained table leg.

"Something went wrong…" Chris began a rising horror building within him as he noted the all-too-familiar surroundings. A moment later Chris felt the air shifting; and magical energy crackled throughout the attic. He barely restrained his terror as he sensed who had entered the Manor.

"Maybe we should—" Leo began, reaching for one of the potions, but movement in the shadows across from them caught his attention.

"Not what you expected?" a deadly cold voice questioned.

Chris' breath caught in his throat at the sound. _Wyatt!_ Before he could react, he had been thrown across the room, colliding painfully with the wall and falling to the floor in a heap.

"CHRIS!" Leo called, rushing towards him as an unnatural darkness filled the room, creating a vast haze of blackness. Leo's body stiffened, no longer reacting to his commands, he could not move at all, making him completely helpless to do anything; his eyes trapped on Chris who lay just four feet away.

"Who invited you?" the diabolical voice questioned, his magic holding Leo frozen in place.

Chris rose to his feet slowly, his head throbbing and bright spots of light impeding his vision. He waved his arm as a blond-haired, black-clad figure stepped into the light, the darkness he conjured clinging to the air behind him. The telekinetic energy simply glinted off something blue and circular that surrounded the man.

"Chris, what's going on?" Leo asked, struck cold by the look of utter terror on his son's face, and turning his gaze to the stranger before him, his heart sinking as he put the pieces together.

"We didn't find who turned Wyatt after all, he's still—" Chris whispered hastily. They needed to open the portal and escape to the past, but with Wyatt there – he would never let them. Chris began wracking his mind for a solution, and stopped mid-sentence as Wyatt made a fist and cut off Chris' air supply.

"What are you doing to him!" Leo demanded in horror as Chris dropped to his knees, making choking sounds. Leo struggled against Wyatt's magic, trying to get to Chris, and reading the look of fear on his face.

Wyatt would kill him.

"This is all feeling very familiar, Chris," Wyatt said with unmasked mirth, completely ignoring Leo. Chris failed to cover the look of anger that briefly covered his face. "Only this time, I will I'll make sure you don't slip out of my grasp."

Chris gestured wildly with his hands, branching out with his powers to stop Wyatt, unfortunately, Wyatt's shield protected him, and would do so, no matter how much power Chris wasted.

"You just never learn," Wyatt sighed, forming a low-level energy ball and tossing it half-heartedly at his brother. Chris' howl of pain died in his restricted throat, and Wyatt only laughed as he attempted once more, to fight back.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Leo shouted desperately. Wyatt did not as much as look at him, his entire attention trained on his younger brother.

"Don't struggle so much Chris, you knew you were only living on borrowed time. But, before I deal with you, there's someone else I need to take care of." His dark eyes snapped to Leo, still immobilized by Wyatt's power.

With a flick of Wyatt's wrist, a cluster of dark crystals formed a circle around Chris. The crystals sent tendrils of blue light into the air around him, effectively blocking his chances of escape.

Chris gasped for air as Wyatt released his hold, his head pounding, and the burn on his chest aching. He stared at the crystal cage entrapping him, knowing there was no way out now.

He had failed.

His gaze darted to Leo as Wyatt approached their father from the past. For his part, Leo seemed completely horrified that this abomination of the Halliwell values was really his son. "Wyatt, you can't kill him—" Chris pointed out.

"Oh don't worry, Christopher, I'm simply getting him out of the way," Wyatt laughed. His eyes darted to the potion bottle in Leo's hand, easily realizing what it was. He orbed it to smash into the fading chalk line of the triquetra on the wall, opening the portal back in time.

"Chris!" Leo shouted desperately as Wyatt shoved him backwards into the welcoming arms of the time portal.

"Dad!" Chris called back weakly. Their eyes met briefly before Leo disappeared and the triquetra ceased glowing.

"Now that we have some privacy, it's time to deal with you," Wyatt laughed. In the blink of an eye, he and the currently trapped Chris shimmered from the room.

* * *

**A/N: Uh-ohs.**

**So, liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Hit me with a review and let me know!**

**But if you did like it, be sure to tell all your Charmed friends about it!**

**Thanks for reading, and see you next time!**

**Ada C. Eliana**


	3. To Choose Between Them

A/N: Thanks to **Fae Child19, teal-lover, bstant, Embry, mlb, Sabrina, RuByMoOn17, Charmedtomeetyou, sabrina, and Nina430 **for your reviews. Keep 'em coming, and thank you for your kind words!

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

Enjoy chapter 3!

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**Bound by Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 3: To Choose Between Them

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

_I know  
I should realize  
Time is precious  
It is worthwhile  
Despite how I feel inside  
Have to trust it'll be alright  
Have to stand up to be stronger_

"Pale" Within Temptation

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**2004**

Phoebe and Paige stepped back as the time portal reopened, expecting to see Leo walking out, smiling at the bright future he had seen. Instead, he flew backwards and just missed colliding with the pair as he landed in the corner of the room. Without a word of explanation, he scrambled to his feet and raced towards the time portal, slamming into the wall as it closed a moment too soon. "No!" he cried, bashing his fists against it.

"Leo!" Piper shouted, rushing to him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"What happened?" Phoebe demanded, her empathic skills picking up a small fraction of the horror and pain that wracked through Leo.

"The spell was supposed to send him to the future…" Paige said, pointing out the obvious.

"It did!" Leo responded, working to regain his composure, but failing dismally.

"Then why…?" Piper began.

"It sent him back to where he came from! The future hasn't changed!"

"No! No, it had to! I didn't send him there to… oh God," Piper breathed frantically. "What happened! Why did you come back out! And without him!" she asked.

"Wyatt was there… he attacked Chris, had him caught in a crystal cage and then reopened the portal and sent me here." He hung his head in defeat, knowing how deeply he had failed Chris.

"No, no, no!" Phoebe protested. "We saved Wyatt, how could he still be…?"

"Maybe Chris was wrong, maybe nothing 'turned' Wyatt," Paige said, her heart sinking as she thought of the implications of her statement.

"I don't care!" Piper shouted. "Chris was afraid that Wyatt would kill him, and now… No, we're opening that portal and going in to get him back."

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

Gideon watched the argument from afar; concerned. Unbeknownst to the sisters, he had lingered the entire time in his invisible form. He had expected Leo to not come back out; expected whatever lay in the dark future of Chris' time to detain Leo, leaving him an opening to get to Wyatt. However, it seemed Wyatt had no need for Leo. Perhaps the ensuing chaos created by the knowledge of Chris' capture would serve as distraction enough.

For now Leo still stood in his way… But if the Power of Three were to go into the future…

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

"Piper you can't time travel, you're seven months pregnant!" Paige protested, following her sister's erratic pacing in the attic with her eyes.

"I'm pregnant, not incompetent! And this is my son you're talking about; I can't just leave him there! After all he risked to come back here, and it was supposed to have changed, we were supposed to be sending him home!" Her voice broke slightly, but she clenched her jaw, determined to keep her emotions in check. She needed to be in control when she faced whatever lay in the future.

"I'll go, you stay, Piper," Leo decided, stepping towards the portal as if expecting it to open.

"We'll need the power of three," Piper said calmly. "Come on, we have to brew a new potion, since we had Chris take most of the vials with him. I'm not taking any chances here people. And I want you all to grab whatever vanquishing potions you can. Lots and lots of potions! Come on, we're running out of time here! Get moving, people!"

"Piper…" Phoebe began, her voice low and worried. "If those Witch Wars demons were not the ones after Wyatt, then he's still at risk. And if we go now… then all of Chris' efforts would have been for nothing."

"Don't ask me to choose between them," Piper responded, her voice hard, but her eyes filled with emotion. "We don't know what future Wyatt will do to him, he could kill him, and then…"

"Okay honey," Paige breathed, taking a step forward. "We still have two months, right? Chris said Wyatt was turned before he was born. So, if we make this trip to the future quick, then there might not be any risk at all."

"You're right, we can't leave Chris hanging, not after all he's done for us," Phoebe spoke up. "But Paige and I will go. If you go too you could risk baby Chris, and I can't let you do that," she said sadly.

"But—" Piper sputtered.

"No Piper, you have to worry about baby Chris, or else there won't be an adult Chris to rescue."

Piper seemed about to argue, but saw the look of steely determination on Phoebe's face and relented. Not to say that she would not do as she pleased regardless.

"Leo, can you take Wyatt 'up there' while we're gone?" Phoebe asked. Leo nodded. "And don't let him out of your sight for a second!"

"Potion time?" Piper pressed. They looked up at her apprehensively. "Oh come on, I can at least help with that part."

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**2018**

_Day by day the darkness that existed within Wyatt seemed to fester and grow. The temper tantrums that had frequented his youth returned with full force, frightening Phoebe and usually ending in a magical fight between Wyatt and Chris, Chris coming out the worse of the two. Wyatt's anger over his mother's death manifested itself in unpleasant character traits, within them a penchant for disappearing for days on end to the Underworld looking up leads to who ordered the attack on the Manor that day. _

_Edith worked with Chris, trying to get him to open up and discuss his problems. She managed to help a bit, but Chris flat-out refused to use any new powers, choosing instead to suppress them and focus on the powers he had already garnered full control over. It annoyed the whitelighter to no end, but Chris would not change his mind._

_Leo remained 'up there' with the other Elders, still broken up about Piper's death, and unconsciously or not, blaming Chris for it. He only went down to see Wyatt, and make sure his oldest son was handling everything all right._

_Everything had already begun to fall apart before August of the following year when the last nail had been driven into the coffin._

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**2027**

The stench of death and decay immediately sickened Chris as he appeared in a well lit room that he knew all too well. A circular floor, seemingly floating in an endless dark abyss lay beneath him. White panels outlined in black made up the majority of the floor, a blue circle in the center finishing it. Various piles of demon ash, and the remains of murdered witches stained the floor. Chris immediately recognized where he was, after all he had been here before, the first time when Wyatt had finally lost his patience with him, and just recently in 2004 when Phoebe and Paige had gone to meet with the Tribunal to save Darryl.

Because that's where he was, the Tribunal's meeting room. Wyatt had seized it after he destroyed the Elders, realizing that the magical center which made a person's memories visible to anyone in the vicinity was awfully useful for difficult prisoners.

Now Chris knew why Wyatt had not just killed him in the attic when he had the chance, he wanted information first. But what? Wyatt could not be so stupid to think that Chris would know about the current state of the Resistance, it had been a year, and in a year for them, a lot of change occurred.

He stared around, still imprisoned in the crystal cage, wondering where his brother was. An incoming wave of darkness answered his questions. The room became deadly cold, and completely black. As his eyes adjusted, Chris kept his ears perked for any sounds.

"Why did you come back? I had hoped it was because you had given up your foolish mission, but after what you said to our father, I'm inclined to believe you had thought your mission was a success." Wyatt's voice spoke close to Chris' ear as he made his presence in the darkness known. Chris reached in the direction of Wyatt's voice, his effort rewarded with a blast of electricity from the crystal cage.

"What are you doing Wyatt? Why are we here?" Chris asked, searching the space in front of him for his brother.

"What did you do in the past, Chris?"

"Is that what this is about? You just want to know what I've done?" Chris asked incredulously, wincing as the burn on his chest reaffirmed its presence with a tinge of pain.

"How much did you tell them?"

"As if I would even answer that," Chris responded defiantly. An energy blast that tore into his abdomen told him that Wyatt was not amused. "You know, Wyatt, violence is not always the answer," Chris hissed mockingly. The air crackled with magic, and for an instant he saw his brother's face, deadly serious; furious even, glaring down at him. Then a flash of pain as the magic hit, tearing at his skin and leaving him screaming in pain.

He knew that taunting Wyatt was suicidal, and yet could not stop himself. All of the things Wyatt had done; he could no longer play it cool, the time for that had passed. He had been so comfortable in the past, so relieved. He had saved Wyatt, and he would be going home to the life he worked so hard for. And all of that was a lie. He had never saved Wyatt. That realization hurt worse than any of the things Wyatt would do to him. He only hoped that his mother and aunts would stay in the past where they belonged, protecting Wyatt from what turned him, rather than go off on some fool-hardy rescue mission to the future.

If he had to die… then so be it, as long as they protected Wyatt so that none of this would ever even happen.

"Are we at the part where you kill me yet?" Chris asked.

Growling in his throat, Wyatt kicked one of the crystals away, the darkness dissipating immediately so the brothers could easily see each other. Wyatt grabbed Chris by what was left of his shirt and pulled him up off the floor.

Chris grimaced. Wyatt was angry, and that was serious considering the blue circle in the center of the room, and his own inability to defend himself.

"I should kill you, it would certainly make my life a lot easier," Wyatt hissed.

"Then why don't you do it? You were going to – last time."

Wyatt released him, dropping Chris to the ground. As he landed, he tested out his telekinesis, but found it blocked, just as he had assumed it would be. Wyatt had fortified just about everything he had dominion over with magical blocks; only demonic powers worked. "I wouldn't have, you just made me angry, Chris. You're awfully good at that. It's a wonder you've survived this long.

"We're brothers, Chris. And that occasionally means something to me, even if it doesn't to you, traitor."

Chris looked up at Wyatt perplexed, as he stood, wincing from the pain it caused him. "Of course it means something to me! That's why I went back to save you! I wanted you to be… you, again."

"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, nothing 'turned' me, I have not 'turned,' I _am_ me."

"I don't believe that."

"Well the world does not revolve around which truths you choose to accept." His voice echoed through the darkness, and his footsteps came closer to Chris once again.

"Now, tell me what you did in the past."

"No."

"You do realize where we are, and how easy it'll be for me to extract those memories." he stated ominously, holding out his hand to use TK on his little brother.

"Go ahead, let's see how well this thing works."

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**2004**

"Okay, potion's done," Paige announced, capping a battle of the time-traveling liquid. Phoebe looked up from where she had been brewing extra vanquishing potions and nodded. Piper nodded at Paige as she filled tote bags with the extra potions, hoping that they would not need them.

A beat later, Gideon orbed into the room. "So, how did it go?" he asked as if he had not been spying on them all along. He pretended to be surprised when they filled him in. "Well, it is quite regrettable, but the two of you time traveling – that is just much too dangerous."

"Regrettable? My son is in the future suffering because we screwed up, and that's just 'regrettable'! Listen to me Gideon, I don't care if you're an Elder, you have no right to tell us what we can and cannot do," Piper yelled, happy to have a target for her frustration and fear.

"Leo, maybe you should go with them, separating the Power of Three by sending two into that type of situation without so much as a Whitelighter…" Gideon said, his eyes not straying from Piper's angry face.

"NO. Leo is staying here with Wyatt, to protect him. He's still in danger," Piper responded almost guiltily.

"I could protect Wyatt while you go," Gideon offered.

"No thanks, Gideon. I can take care of my son myself," Leo answered.

"Very well," Gideon sighed, orbing away.

"All right, are you two ready?" Piper questioned. Her sisters had changed into comfortable clothes – jeans, a Tee, hooded sweatshirt, and sneakers – all the better to escape and vanquish in.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Paige said, grabbing her potions bag from Piper.

"Let's just do this quickly, and cleanly, so we can get back to protecting Wyatt," Phoebe suggested.

"Good luck you two, and be careful," Leo advised, angry that he had to stay behind, but knowing that protecting Piper and Wyatt was his priority. He held Wyatt close as Paige threw the bottle and the portal glowed blue before them.

"Bye," Paige said over her shoulder to Piper and Leo before disappearing into the triquetra.

"Take Wyatt up there," Piper instructed her husband as the time portal began to fade.

"I could stay here for a while."

"No, take him." Leo nodded and disappeared with Wyatt.

Feeling a bit guilty, one hand over her stomach, Piper ran into the triquetra before the magic completely dissipated.

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**2027**

The sun streamed through the windows of the attic in the Halliwell Manor, not suiting the dark figure that crouched behind an old bookshelf.

"Chris!" the figure hissed, her voice soft and feminine. "Chris, are you here?" she whispered a little louder this time. She peeked out from the top of the bookcase, revealing her sea-green eyes to the empty room. "Dammit, Wyatt must've beaten me here," she sighed.

Standing to her full height and brushing off her clothes, she walked towards the center of the attic, staring at the pedestal that once held the Book of Shadows. Wistfully, she remembered better days, before everything changed. The sight of the triquetra Bianca drew turning to swirling blue caught her attention. She turned to it, as two women stepped cautiously through.

The two Charmed Ones seemed apprehensive, potion bottles in hand and bags hoisted over their shoulders. A moment later a third rushed through and joined them.

"Piper!" Paige hissed. "What are you--!" She stopped abruptly as she saw someone looking at them with a mix of awe and confusion.

The trio all stared at the woman of about 20 standing before them. She wore black and red robes, a gold cord cinching the cloth at her waist. Sleek black hair curled into a simple bun behind her head, stray pieces falling into her face. Phoebe allowed her gaze to linger for an instant over her olive skin and beautiful eyes; eyes that widened when she saw Phoebe.

"Mommy!" she cried, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around Phoebe. A second later she jumped backwards as if burned. "What are you doing here?" she cried, recovering from her surprise and staring about her in fear; expecting demons to shimmer in at any moment. "We have to leave!" Gripping her mother's arm, and gesturing at her aunts, the quartet shimmered out of the attic.

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

Wyatt sent him flying with another bout of TK, but Chris managed to catch the floor with his foot, shoving himself in the wrong direction and landing in a heap on the floor – for the fourth time. Needless to say, Wyatt had been steadily losing his temper, and Chris vaguely wondered how long it would be before his brother snapped completely.

Wyatt shot off an energy ball to subdue him, and Chris felt the familiar burning sensation, this time in his right shoulder. He moaned softly, and had begun to push himself back up when Wyatt grabbed him and threw him at the circle.

Careful to direct his thoughts at a non-vital memory, as he rolled away from it, Chris was rewarded by what appeared before them.

In the hologram sat baby Wyatt from 2004 in a high chair, throwing food at his mother and wailing.

Adult Wyatt looked at the image, confused. Then his gaze flicked to his brother's satisfied smirk. Chris wondered briefly at why Wyatt would even care what he did in the past – there was nothing he could do about it now, and if something major had changed, well, they would probably be the first to know.

And then Chris realized it – Wyatt really wanted to know how much Chris had told them about Wyatt turning – that was it. Despite what it did to him, and how it had probably been traumatic, Wyatt wanted it to happen.

Without giving his brother sufficient time to recover, Wyatt pushed him into the magical circle again, and this time Chris directed the memory at one from 2004 when he and Phoebe had confronted Paige about her 'Mr. Right.'

"_You're the one who kept telling me I needed a break."_

_"Yes, but I meant take a day off, you know? Go to the spa, have a pedicure, get a massage."_

_"I massage her."_

_Phoebe gagged._

"Want to try again, Wyatt? Maybe I can find that one where Mom and her boyfriend were—" Chris cut off abruptly as Wyatt lost his temper and sent a fireball at him. He dodged it, but felt the impact of an energy ball – his brother's second attack – hit him head on. Falling to the ground, his head collided painfully with the floor. Wyatt continued a barrage of assaults, forgetting that he needed Chris conscious for the memories to be extracted.

Chris clenched his jaw and tried to focus on anything except the pain he felt.

Wyatt attacked once again, and white spots danced in his vision. He could feel blood seeping from his wounds, pooling beneath him.

"Okay, little brother, time to try again," Wyatt sighed, his anger spent as he kneeled beside Chris. He held his hands over him, intending to heal Chris' injuries so he would be well enough for another bout of questioning. However, he was suddenly distracted.

Three auras, powerful and potent, that he had not sensed for years suddenly appeared in the city; three auras he should never be able to sense again. Yet they were different than the last time he felt them, weaker, younger. He zeroed in on their presence – the Manor. He stood, intending to meet them rather than have his demon guards go there. He stopped when he realized the strong aura that lingered in the Manor – another person; yet an aura he could recognize easily. Abruptly, the four powers faded out of his range. He did not need to wonder at where they went, or who had spirited them out of his sight.

"Lena…" Wyatt muttered under his breath. "Well, brother, looks like there's going to be a change in plans," Wyatt said to Chris, grabbing his arm and shimmering away.

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**2019**

_Lena, Chris, and Wyatt, the three remaining children of the Halliwell line stood close together. Dressed in black – the color of mourning – they listened dispassionately as a priest led the crowd around them through prayers. The dew of morning remained in the grass beneath their feet, and they stared at the casket before them. Chris put his arm around Lena and held her close as silent tears streamed down her cheeks._

_They had been at Magic School when Lena felt her mother dying. Screaming, she channeled Chris' whitelighter abilities and orbed back to the Manor. She found Phoebe dead on the kitchen floor. She had been attacked and killed by a demon without even having the chance to call her whitelighter or her family for assistance, though some suspected that she did not call them in order to protect them. _

_It was the final blow to the Halliwells, the last of the Charmed Ones had died. And now evil rose up without anything powerful to prevent it; moving with freedom unheard of since the Charmed Ones began their quest against evil some 20 years prior. _

_Danger lurked for every magical being, but none felt the fires of revenge burn deep within them more so than the three descendants; the only ones capable of saving the world from demons now._

_After the funeral and reception, Leo presented each of them with a sealed letter, written by Piper and Phoebe soon after Paige's death. It was to only be given to them once the last of the three perished. _

_Lena took her letter up to her mother's room, per instructions at the top, clutching the key that fell from the envelope when she opened it, she sat down on the floor to read._

My darling Lena,

If you're reading this, then I have died, and the Power of Three has been destroyed, perhaps forever. Dark times may lie ahead for you and your cousins, but don't worry sweetheart, it isn't the end. You have grown into a capable and powerful witch; and I could not be more proud of all you have accomplished. I feel right in telling you that your Aunts would be proud of you too. Your Aunt Piper and I decided to leave each of you three a parting gift; something magical to ensure your survival. What I am about to give you should not be taken lightly. It is a powerful magical tool, one that should only be used in the most extreme of circumstances. For fears I hope are never realized, I must ask you to keep this item secret, even from your family. It is for you, and you alone.

That being said, go to the top drawer of my dresser and pull out the long locked box. Do not touch what is inside, only look at it.

_She did as her mother requested, pulling out the cherry-wood knife-case. She pushed the gold key into the tiny lock, and heard a satisfying click. Taking a deep breath, she opened it to reveal a single athame lying in a bed of crushed velvet. As she stared intently at the athame she noticed that something had been engraved in its metal hilt that she could not make sense of: 'WW.' Perplexed, she returned to the letter._

This athame has the ability to suck powers from any magical source. It already contains the powers of various demons, and the power will transfer to you if you touch it. I must ask you to save this for only the most dire of situations. Demonic powers are not to be taken lightly, but if you someday need them for your survival, then I am happy to have been able to grant them to you.

Stay safe my beautiful daughter, and enjoy the future before you. Do not dwell on the past, only live in your tomorrows.

I love you,

Your mother.

_BREAK_

_Wyatt orbed 'up there' with his father to receive his gift. In a magically protected sphere there lay a large rock with a sword protruding from within it._

_"Excalibur," Leo said with pride as Wyatt approached the weapon. _

_He reached out to it and pulled the sword from the stone. "I don't understand," Wyatt breathed, awestruck by the great power within the weapon._

_"It was always meant for you, Wyatt. Your mother, and then your Aunt Phoebe acted as proxies for you, watching over the sword until it would be given to you. Your mom wanted you to have a 'normal' life, and so we had to wait for you to get it. But now, it's yours. We had to lock it away up here to prevent anyone from being overcome by its powers by accident."_

_"But it is meant for me?" Wyatt questioned, staring intently at the blade._

_"Yes it is."_

_"Haha. This is better than I ever could have imagined," Wyatt smiled._

_BREAK_

_Chris paced the attic, the letter in his hand._

Dear Chris,

Your Aunt Phoebe and I decided to leave each of the three remaining Halliwell's a magical gift to help in the fight against evil. You know I always wanted you kids to have the most normal life you could, but it seems that never proved possible. The gifts left to Lena and Wyatt are extraordinarily powerful, and so is what we bequeath to you:

The Book of Shadows.

The Book is now yours, and the grand legacy it carries is yours as well. Keep it safe, and use the knowledge you find within it to protect yourself and those you love.

Love,

Mom

_He approached the Book and put a tentative hand on it, squeezing his eyes shut against emotion as he did so. It was his now. Something he always expected to fall to Wyatt, his Aunt and mother had seen fit to give to him. And he would honor their legacy._

**ooooooOOOoooooo**

**A/N: Thank you for reading, please review!**

**'Til next time,**

**A.C.E.**


	4. Legacy Cast in Crimson

**A/N: **I am back with another chapter!

Thank you **crazyDFFgang, sabrina, Ayana Starman, FastFuriousChick, Briankrause, Nina430, fred, bstant, RuByMoOn17, **and **Fae Child19** for your wonderful reviews! You guys are awesome! Thank you so much!

_Flashbacks appear in italics._

**Premonitions appear in bold.**

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**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 4: Legacy Cast in Crimson

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_Though this might just be the ending  
Of the life I held so dear  
But I won't run,  
There's no turning back from here _

"Stand My Ground" Within Temptation

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**2027**

The Charmed Ones and the woman from the attic reappeared into a large entryway of a mansion. Some pieces of the house reminded them of the Manor, and the Grandfather clock they saw as she led them into the living room certainly looked familiar. The large picturesque windows along the outer wall afforded a view of an abandoned sea.

Lowering her tote bag of potions to the floor, Paige sat down on one of the surprisingly soft couches and turned to stare at the woman who had either saved them or captured them. The woman motioned for everyone to follow suit and sit as well.

"Piper what are you doing here? I thought we agreed that you would stay behind!" Paige said angrily.

"You two said I would stay behind, not me," Piper protested. Paige opened her mouth to speak again but Piper raised her hand to stop her. "I think there's more important things to worry about now." Paige growled in annoyance and then turned to where Phoebe was studying the person who brought them to… wherever they were.

"Did you say I was your—" Phoebe began, stopping when she took a closer look at the woman sitting beside her on a gold couch. Her face was nearly identical to Phoebe's; the chin, cheekbones, mouth. The only deviations were her eyes and hair.

"Mother!" she finished for Phoebe, excited. "I can't believe you're here!" she added. "So, welcome to my home, my name's Lena." She addressed the group at large, her eyes scanning Piper, Paige, and Phoebe's faces hungrily, as if she could stare at them all day and not get bored.

"So, no 'P' for me either?" Phoebe questioned, feeling a bit queasy as she looked at her daughter, and realized that she had shimmered.

"Well my full first name is 'Philena,' it's just Lena for short," she said. "What are you all doing here? And – Oh my God! Aunt Piper, you're pregnant!" she squealed in delight. "Is that Chris in there?" she asked, pointing to Piper's stomach.

"Yes, and he's why we're here."

"Destination birth?" Lena fished sarcastically.

"Not him, full grown Chris. He came here just a while ago with Leo," Piper explained, not too impressed with Lena's hyper Phoebe-esque attitude.

"Oh. That's who he was with. I felt some sort of magical presence, but I just didn't recognize it as Uncle Leo. Chris is definitely in deep trouble," Lena sighed, her happy façade beginning to crumble. "I told him not to come back unless he was absolutely sure, and after what happened last time I didn't think he'd…"

"We were sure, although obviously we were wrong," Paige sighed. "So you're Chris' cousin then?" she added.

"Yeah, we practically grew up together, though I am—"

"Three years younger than him?" Phoebe offered.

"Yeah… how'd you know?" Lena questioned suspiciously. Her mother and father had met by chance on a city sidewalk in the summer of 2005, so how could she already know when Lena would be born?

"Vision quest," she answered simply.

"Okay," Lena answered uneasily.

"Do you know where we can find Chris?" Piper asked. "You were in the attic, so you must know something. Although…. I don't know if I can even trust you."

"You can trust me," Lena said though it did not seem to assuage the fears of the trio of witches. "And yes, I have a pretty good idea of where Chris is…"

"So? Where is he then?" Piper asked. While the girl looked like Phoebe and had seemingly saved them, in this future, anything was possible. She might even just be there to stall them.

"With Wyatt I'd assume," Lena sighed, standing and walking over to a bookshelf. She pulled out a small, old, hard-covered book, the pages yellowed and crinkling. Carrying it back to the armchair, she sat back down and began thumbing through the pages.

"Yeah, but where?" Paige pressed, impatient. "Hello, like his life might be at stake and you're just doing what – some light reading?"

Lena looked up at Paige, her sea-green eyes flashing with something akin to anger. "What did you think would happen when you came through that portal?" Her voice sounded hard and cold.

They just stared, unsure of really what they were thinking.

"Leo must've gotten back to the past, right?" she questioned. They nodded. "Figures," she whispered under her breath with irritation. "Then you must have known that Wyatt had him. So what did you think you would do? Come in there, let him sense you and find you, and then what? Do you think he would just give you Chris and let you walk out of there?"

"Well…"

"At best, he would have sent you to past, and put a magical block on time travel. At worst, he would kill you."

"Well why haven't you done anything? If you really care about him, then why don't you—" Paige sputtered.

"Why don't I what? Ruin everything Chris and I have worked so hard for in these past years? I can't! I won't!" Lena shouted, dropping the book as she did so.

"Can't we all just calm down here?" Phoebe asked, attempting to keep her voice light. Arguing with Lena would get them nowhere.

"Maybe you're just here to stall us! Maybe Wyatt sent you after us!" Paige accused. "You were in the attic when we got here! You shimmered us! You definitely didn't get that power from Phoebe! You could be just some shape-shifting demon or something!"

The anger left Lena's eyes suddenly to be replaced by hurt. She had been accused of many things since she took her place at Wyatt's side, and she had lost just about every friend she ever had, but this… To hear the same spite in her Aunt's voice, it cut deep. Phoebe watched her daughter closely and felt her heart ache.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I realize how this must all seem. But it's difficult for you to understand if you haven't lived it."

Feeling that the hostility had begun to dissipate, Phoebe reached over and took Lena's right hand in hers. An instant later she felt the telltale symptoms of a premonition.

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**"You're sure this is the right thing to do?" a very young Lena asked her cousins. Her mother had died two weeks ago, and now was the perfect time to implement their plan for revenge.**

**Wyatt and Chris stood beside each other, though slightly apart, and Chris put a comforting hand on Lena's shoulder. It was midnight by the clock on the wall – the witching hour, and they were standing in a circle in the attic surrounding a small table with a cauldron, the Book of Shadows on the pedestal behind them. The full moon cast an eerie glow on the trio.**

**"If you don't want to, then we won't. You're only twelve anyway, I mean that's way too young to--" Chris said, showing his own hesitation.**

**"No, I do want to do this. I do want to, but only if…" she paused and looked up into Chris's eyes. "But only if you want to. I mean this legacy, it's yours now, Chris, and if you want to share it with us, then okay. But if not…"**

**"No, I do, I do."**

**"This way, no one will ever be able to touch us. If demons feared the Charmed Ones were feared before, then they'll really be scared now. Even better, this ritual will bind the three of us together fore--" Wyatt laughed as Chris cut him off.**

**"Let's just do this, before you talk me out of it," Chris sighed. **

**"All right, Lena, would you like to start?" Wyatt asked, holding a pocket knife out to her.**

**"Oh boy, when you said 'Ancient blood ritual' you meant it," Lena laughed nervously, taking the knife from him. She held it in her left hand, hovering over the skin on the underside of her right wrist. "I'm not exactly an artist here – were they all out of triquetra stencils at the hobby store, Wy?"**

**"Here, let me," Chris offered, taking the knife from her. Quickly and deftly he traced a triquetra in Lena's skin, blood oozing up to the surface as he cut, and Lena sucking in a breath against the pain. Chris followed suit, slicing up his own wrist in the symbol of his mother and aunts. He passed the knife to Wyatt, who did likewise. Their blood dripped into the cauldron, mixing together. **

**"Okay, next step," Lena whispered, aware that they were doing something both dangerous and amazing. She held out her wrist to Chris, and they pressed their bloodied cuts together, letting their blood commingle. They did the same with Wyatt's wrist. **

**"Time for the spell," Wyatt whispered. **

**The trio held their wrists out into the center of their small circle, their left arms around each other. As one they boldly spoke the incantation that would bring them together as the new Charmed Ones.**

"**Hear now the words of the witches,**

**The secrets we hid in the night.**

**The oldest of gods are invoked here.**

**Great work of magic is sought.**

**In this night and in this hour,**

**We call upon the ancient power.**

**Bring your powers to we Halliwell three.**

**We want the power.**

**Give us the power." **

**Unnatural blue light descended from somewhere unseen above them, bathing them in its glow. At the same time, the wounds on their wrists healed instantly, retaining perfectly identical triquetra symbols as if burned into their skin. **

"**It worked," Lena whispered, staring in awe at her wrist. She looked at her cousins hopefully. Chris closed his eyes and took a step away from them as if he had made a terrible mistake. Behind him, Wyatt smiled, but it was not a benign smile. Something dark and treacherous within him had just gotten exactly what it wanted.**

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**2019**

_Alec, Victor, and Leo were sitting in the living room of the Halliwell Manor discussing the situation with Leo's sons and Alec's daughter. Victor had just recently moved in to help Alec out with his grandkids. It was midnight, and the kids were supposed to be in bed, so the adults felt safe to discuss them; safe that none of the telepaths upstairs would be listening in._

_"Phoebe had some misgivings about Wyatt… she was worried long before Piper died that he might not exactly… share their view of the world," Alec said carefully, knowing he was treading on unstable ground._

_"I know how Phoebe felt, and I still believe that she was just paranoid."_

_"But that much power in one person, Leo? It'd be a miracle if he could hold it together and not let it corrupt him," Alec's voice was a smooth baritone, but held within it a warning. "Look, I'm not trying to offend you, I'm just worried about Chris and Lena, I think—" Alec broke off abruptly and his eyes darted to the chandelier above them._

_It began to jingle and bounce, bright blue light shining down from above it. It shimmered and glimmered, its shine illuminating the entire room._

_"What the—" Victor asked._

_"Dear God…" Alec breathed. "What have they done?"_

_"The Power of Three…" Leo whispered, remembering when the chandelier had acted that way the day Paige joined the trio. "They've called the power of the Charmed Ones."_

_Alec did not listen to another word, racing up the stairs to the attic, calling for Lena and Chris all the way up. Pausing in the doorway to the highest level of the Manor, he saw the three Halliwells standing around together, clearly up to no good._

_"You have no idea what you've done," Alec hissed through clenched teeth, his gaze straying to Wyatt, who only smirked in response. "No idea."_

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**2019**

_Every argument with Wyatt that did not end in magic ended instead in long monologues about the absence of good and evil, the need to take control as the most powerful beings in existence. And little by little, Alec watched in horror as the Wyatt he knew disappeared and Lena began to buy into his ideas._

_Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, Wyatt studied under demon mentors, learning dark magic and ways to increase his strength. They taught him about power, murder, and inequality of magical beings to pathetic mortals. And he remembered the time when he was little, and his mother and aunts had been preoccupied with Chris' birth, allowing an Elder the opening he sought to destroy him. He had no preconceptions of trust in the Elders after that, and if you could not trust the paragons of good, then what did 'good' mean anyway? He saw demons as used and abused as witches, perpetually perpendicular to one another, pitted on opposite sides by the Source and the Elders when they should be working together, using their powers to control those who sought control over them. He began the dark journey to culminate in three years._

_Against the orders and pleading of Alec, Victor, and Leo, for four months, Lena, Chris, and Wyatt worked on tracking down the demons who killed their Aunt Paige and cousins. Lena went through Paige's possessions, forcing visions of the past. Chris went over the research Piper and Phoebe had done previously, and did a little research of his own in the Underworld. Wyatt bullied and vanquished demons, demanding information. _

_And they had finally found the demon responsible. He was called the Medusa demon, and they were about to find out why. _

_The new Charmed Ones, ages 17, 15, and 12 stood side by side, potions and spells in hand as Wyatt orbed them into the Underworld._

_They stood at the mouth of a cave, torches lining the opening. Casting nervous and determined glances at each other, the trio stepped in. The first section of the cave looked like some sort of dwelling. A seer's pool lay twinkling in the center, various shelves lining the walls. They walked into the next part and were met with a sight that they would never forget._

_About 100 people stood, their backs to the three, completely still. Wyatt stepped up to them, trying to get their attention, but they were frozen. "Hey there!" Wyatt called, knocking on one of their heads._

"_Wyatt don't, they're dead!" Lena shrieked, sensing nothing but hollow emptiness from the bodies. _

"_Oh my God, these are corpses – preserved," Chris observed calmly, not as squeamish as his little cousin._

_"You don't think--?" Wyatt began the question on everyone's minds. Paige, Prue, and Nel's bodies had never been found, could they be here, frozen forever?_

_Not sure if she wanted to prove them right or wrong, Lena shot off from her cousins. She zigzagged between the bodies, searching for the missing remains of her relatives. Chris chased after her, but Wyatt tried to sense for the demon. _

_A heart wrenching scream broke Wyatt's concentration. He followed the sound and found Lena kneeling on the ground howling and Chris staring in disbelief at the three statuesque bodies in front of them. _

_Their Aunt Paige stood, her three-year-old twin daughters at her sides, her hands outstretched to shield them from an attack. Her face contorted in horror, her mouth open in a scream, the expression of someone helpless to prevent harm to herself and those around her burned forever upon her visage. She had died protecting her children, and it had not done her one damn bit of good. All three were dead, and the Power of Three had broken. _

_"No, no, no, no," Chris muttered under his breath. Wyatt did not know which was worse, the constant need to find out what happened to them, or knowing it. He turned to his brother, and saw the pained look on Chris' face. Gently, he took Chris by the shoulders and turned him around, forcing his eyes away from the sight. _

_"Don't look again, just don't," Wyatt whispered soothingly in his brother's ear. _

_Reaching down for Lena, Wyatt pulled her to her feet, her sobs increasing as he pulled her away. Her stomach lurched as she stared at her dead cousins' identical faces, pain twisting their features. She pulled away from Wyatt and vomited, tears blinding her as she crumpled to the ground again._

_"Where are you! Show yourself!" Wyatt screamed, demanding the demon appear before him. Chris suddenly came up behind Wyatt._

_"Careful," he muttered to Wyatt._

_"Come out!" Wyatt continued to demand. The sound of shimmering behind them caught their attention. Wyatt and Chris spun around to see a grotesque demon staring at them._

_Chris pulled out his vanquishing potions, but Wyatt took them from him. "No," Wyatt whispered, smashing the potion bottles with his hands and dropping the remnants on the ground._

_"What the hell did you do that for!" Chris demanded as the demon approached them._

_"It would be too easy that way, too quick," Wyatt answered, ripping the pages of spells and throwing them to the ground. Lena stood up behind them, wiping her mouth and staring at the demon with teary eyes._

_"She couldn't stop him, what makes you think we can?" Chris asked rationally. _

_"Because we're stronger than her," Wyatt responded defiantly. "We're stronger than all three of them."_

_As the demon advanced, Wyatt struck out with lightning, knocking the demon back two steps. He countered by throwing a wave of energy that threw Wyatt and Chris backwards. Turning his attention to the youngest of the three, he cast a wave at energy at her too._

_"Lena, dodge!" Chris shouted as he scrambled to his feet, Wyatt beside him. She did just that, utilizing her levitation ability to leap into the air above the attack. She embraced her control of fire and conjured a wave of flame, throwing it at the attacker. _

_"When did she learn that?" Wyatt asked, smiling proudly at her power._

_"Wyatt, we need a spell, a potion, something!" Chris shouted._

_"This is our first vanquish as the Charmed Ones, we don't need anything but us."_

_"You're crazy."_

_"If we're going to stop him, could we do it now?" Lena asked, steely determination on her face. _

_Wyatt nodded, only too happy to oblige. Branching out with his extensive powers, he sent a psychokinetic blast at his opponent. "You killed a Charmed One! You won't get away with that!"_

_Lena shot fire out of her hands, adding strength to Wyatt's attack. "You sick freak!"_

_Staring between the two, Chris held up his hand, and then turned it into a fist, enclosing a telekinetic grip around the demon and squeezing. _

_Surrounded by the blank eyes of one hundred victims, the three Halliwell witches used their greatest gifts on the demon that started it all, the one that broke the power of three and set up the other two sisters to die. The demon had not spoken, they did not know if it knew how, and they cared very little. What could it say that would be worthwhile anyway? Each of the three were motivated by something different. _

_For Wyatt, he used his anger at the destruction of his family; his anger that some demon had overpowered a Halliwell. Lena fought from her horror at what happened, her desire for revenge for her aunt and cousins. For Chris his power fed from his need to give his Paige, Prue, and Nel some peace, to know that the one responsible for their deaths would never hurt anyone again. _

_The demon writhed in agony, pained from the inside out by the powers of the three standing before him. It seemed impossible. The only witches with anywhere near this much power were the three female Charmed Ones, but they had long since been broken. And this power exceeded even theirs. _

_With one brilliant explosion that rocked the cave and was felt in even the furthest reaches of the Underworld the demon had been vanquished. Slumping to the ground in exhaustion, Lena and Chris watched as Wyatt punched the air and celebrated their victory._

_"See, what did I tell you, little brother? We're the new and improved Charmed Ones. No potions, no spells, no problem!" he exclaimed, echoing the phrase that had become Wyatt and Chris' little joke, a sort of motto for whenever they got themselves into trouble. _

_"Yeah well what are we going to do about them?" Chris asked, gesturing to the bodies. The excitement of the vanquish vanished from Wyatt's crystal blue eyes as his gaze strayed to his Aunt's body. _

_"It's over, it's over," Lena cried in the corner. "It's over and I don't feel better at all."_

_"No, it's not over. We're working forward, Lena. We have to find who killed my mother next, and then get the demon who killed your mom." Lena looked up at him, her sea-green eyes displaying a trait he had never seen before, something within her had changed._

_"Chris, orb Lena home. I'll bring the bodies," Wyatt ordered. His brother stared at him for one moment, both of them were melancholy, and did not feel as vindicated as they thought they would. _

**xxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxx**

**2027**

"Phoebe!" Piper called as said witch opened her eyes, the premonition still fresh in her mind. "What just happened?"

Without responding, Phoebe turned Lena's right arm over and spied the tattoo burned into her skin.

"The Power of Three symbol," Phoebe whispered.

"What did you see?" Lena questioned almost fearfully. It could have been anything.

"Your little blood ritual," Phoebe responded, arching an eyebrow at her, but whether it was a compliment on doing something so risky, or an admonishment, Lena could not tell. "But I'm not supposed to be having premonitions anymore – the council stripped my active powers."

"They stripped them in the past, but you're not in the past anymore," Lena pointed out, regarding her mother with something akin to curiosity.

"What did you see, Phoebe?" Piper asked, not understanding what her reference had alluded to.

"Your sons and Lena here, binding themselves together as the new Power of Three."

"You three did what!"

"We had to, to save the world! Or at least that was what Wyatt said…" she trailed off uncomfortably.

"But I've never seen that symbol on Chris, so what happened?" Phoebe questioned.

"He and Wyatt cast glamour spells over theirs to hide it. Once the three of us split over Wyatt's decision to build his empire, Wyatt saw it as a weakness. The fact that a power stronger than him existed; a power he essentially created. Chris just didn't want to remind himself that he'd basically bound himself to Wyatt forever," Lena said flippantly.

"Why didn't you cover it?" Phoebe asked.

"Hey, shouldn't we be going after Chris?" Lena asked, pulling away from Phoebe. Unfortunately, her mind was racing with uncomfortable memories, and her mother reached over and grabbed her hand just as a particularly unpleasant one ran through. Unwittingly using Lena's own powers as a conduit, Phoebe's premonition appeared in living color for everyone in the room to view.

**xxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxx**

**A/N: No Chris in this chapter - well current Chris anyway - but the Charmed Ones are learning things at least. So, let me know what you think with a review!**

**Thanks for reading, leave some feedback.**

**'Till next time,**

**Ada C. Eliana**


	5. To Turn

**A/N: Thank you to my faithful reviewers! I hope to hear from you again, and from you lurkers out there as well! Keep 'em comin' guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. **

**Alec shoots lightning out of his hands in this chapter – and it's not the same as Leo's. It's caused by the air particles hitting each other and that's how he does it – it just goes to show how much control he has over his powers.**

_Flashbacks appear in italics._ **Premonitions appear in bold.**

* * *

**Quick recap: Phoebe touches Lena and is drawn into a powerful premonition, which, accidentally utilizing Lena's power, she projects it into the air before them, allowing all to see. The vision begins now...**

* * *

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 5: To Turn

* * *

_I'm searching for answers  
'cause something is not right.  
I follow the signs,  
I'm close to the fire.  
I fear that soon you'll reveal  
Your dangerous mind.  
It's in your eyes, what's on your mind.  
I fear your smile and the promise inside.  
It's in your eyes, what's on your mind.  
I fear your presence, I'm frozen inside.  
I'm searching for answers  
Not questioned before.  
The curse of awareness,  
There's no peace of mind.  
As your true colors show  
A dangerous sign._

"Dangerous Mind" Within Temptation

* * *

**2022**

**They ignored the signs, the warnings that surrounded them in abundance. The Underworld was stirring – someone had been carefully uniting the demons, providing structure and order. That someone would soon be sworn in as the new Source of All Evil. After two years of endless demon hunting, Wyatt refused to go after this new threat. It was so unlike him, and yet they ignored it; ignored what they knew to be true. The Wyatt before them was not the Wyatt they used to play orb-and-seek with, or chat with at family dinners, play with till the early evening hours as children. Not even the Wyatt who had comforted Lena after Phoebe's death, or given Aunt Paige and the cousins a proper burial. He had completely changed, he had turned. But they refused to see it. **

**Denial felt so good sometimes.**

**Now they did not have a choice.**

**"Why should we sacrifice everything; our time, our loved ones, and eventually even our lives to fight against evil? What has it ever gotten anyone in our family? Nothing but death," Wyatt cursed, his brother and cousin looking on uncertainly. **

**"That's not true, they did a lot of good—" Chris interrupted. They were in the attic, having been summoned by Wyatt for another pre-vanquish discussion. This one was taking quite a strange turn. **

**"What good? Their precious 'innocents' still die, the Underworld comes back from every dent they put in them, and nothing has changed at all. They wouldn't even let any of us use our magic to make up for the sacrifices – personal gain," he paused to laugh before continuing on. "Without the Elders there won't be any of that anymore. They sit up there like gods controlling our lives. We are the most powerful beings on Earth. They should be bowing before us. We should be in control. Forget the Source, the three of us could bring order to the Underworld and end all of it."**

**"Wyatt, what you're saying – it's crazy," Chris said.**

**Wyatt laid his hand protectively over the Book of Shadows, reading his brother's intentions from his eyes. "What about you, Lena, do you think it's crazy? Do you think your mother deserved to die like that after all she's done for them?"**

**"Of course not, but it was a demon—" Lena began uncertainly.**

**"It could very well be the Elders who go after our family next time. They fear us, don't you see that. When they found out we were Charmed they panicked. They want us stopped, controlled. They now realize that we are stronger than they are. Together we could destroy them."**

**"I am not going to kill the Elders, and you can't convince Lena to go along with it either."**

**"But… but what if he's right?" she asked, her voice quaking. "I mean, they had to have known when… when Aunt Piper died… they could've sent someone down, couldn't they? Or how about Aunt Paige? Or my… my mom? They left her to bleed to death, alone. They knew and they didn't do anything! **

"**They watch us all the time, Chris, but not to help us, just to see when we screw up so they can decide if we're special enough to live. You don't think they knew when Aunt Prue and Aunt Piper were dying and Uncle Leo could only heal one of them? **

"**Why weren't the Charmed Ones important enough for them to save? Tell me, Chris, because I need to know why they had to die!" Her eyes sparkled with tears as she stared at her cousin. **

**Chris could hardly believe what he was hearing. He always forgot how young Lena was when Paige died, then Piper, and finally her mother. God, she was only twelve when she found Phoebe dead on the kitchen floor. It was so easy for her to be taken in by Wyatt's words, he was so convincing. But if she stopped to think about for just one minute, she would remember what the Charmed Ones were all about, and that killing Elders just was not part of their usual game plan.**

**"Lena, don't listen to him. He's just making you think what he wants you to believe. You think their deaths mean anything to him now? It's just more propaganda for him to use to sway us. But think about it, would your mom want you to do this? Or how about your dad? He's right downstairs, why don't you ask him if he would approve of all of this. You may be smart, Lena, but you're only fifteen. Besides, do you think you could really go Up There and start killing Elders? You just don't have that kind of evil inside of you." Lena opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it shut again, realizing that Chris was right.**

**Chris pushed Lena back a couple of paces, putting more distance between her and Wyatt. Wyatt just smiled at his brother, still holding the book protectively. "Stop this Wyatt. Dad's an Elder, are you going to kill him?"**

**"Of course not, he's in hiding now, waiting for me to do what must be done."**

**"Who made you king of the world?"**

**"Whoever it was that decided I would be the heir to Excalibur, little brother," Wyatt smirked. "Why must you be so stubborn, Chris? I'm your brother, the only brother you'll ever have. The same magic flows through us, and we hold the same legacy. We've been there for each other through everything, and now that I'm trying to make your life better you've decided to turn away from me. I just don't understand, Chris. Why are you trying to betray me?"**

**"Betray you? Wyatt, you're the one betraying me. You're right, we're brothers, we're both Halliwells, but somewhere along the line you've forgotten what that means. I know you're hurt, and I know you're angry but that's no excuse for this. You can't do this, Wyatt. I won't let you," Chris warned. **

**"You really think you're a match for me?" Wyatt laughed. **

**"Together," Chris said, gesturing towards Lena. "We could take you."**

**"I'm sorry you feel this way, Chris. And I'm doubly sorry that you're leading Lena down the same destructive path the rest of our family went. If she dies, I hope you realize it was your fault."**

**"You won't ever stop, will you?" Chris asked coldly.**

**"Not until my family is by my side. It may take you a while to come back to me, but I know I can get our little cousin over there on my side. And then Chris, you'll truly know what it feels like to be alone. To be by yourself in a world out of control, at the mercy of those you used to trust. And let me tell you, Christopher, when that happens, then you'll finally see that there is no 'greater good' and there is nothing more that you can hope for in this life than plain old survival." **

**Knowing that Wyatt was preparing to leave, Chris leapt forward, hands outstretched in an attempt to grab at the Book. Wyatt pulled it off the podium and slammed Chris against the opposite wall with a blast of telekinesis. As his back hit the wall Chris astral-projected out of his body, charging Wyatt. Wyatt just laughed, throwing energy balls at his brother which hit him in the legs, sending him skidding to the ground. Lena chose that moment to send a wall of fire at Wyatt. Momentarily distracted, he turned to Lena and orbed the attack back at her, forcing her to levitate out of the way. Chris returned to his body and telekinetically threw Wyatt into the wall. Footsteps raced up the stairs as the only remaining Halliwells viciously attacked each other.**

**"Chris, blow him up!" Lena ordered. **

**"No!" Chris responded quickly, orbing behind Wyatt and reaching for the Book. The two brothers fought for it, rolling on the floor and aiming punches at each other. Lena stood ready to attack Wyatt if the opportunity arose, but he and Chris were in too close, there was no guarantee she would hit her target. A bolt of lightning shot at the brothers, hitting and stunning both as Alec arrived breathless in the attic.**

**Lena ripped the Book of Shadows from Wyatt's grasp as he slowly regained control of his body. Wyatt stood, putting up his force-field to prevent intrusion. Chris ran towards Lena, hoping to orb away with her and the Book, but Wyatt had the same idea. Without even looking at him, Wyatt scattered Chris' orbs and sent him reeling back down to Earth, his molecules flying around. **

**The eldest son of Piper made short work of Alec with an overwhelming psychokinetic blast. His uncle slammed into the wall, unconscious. He then turned his attention back to Lena, who stood completely petrified, the Book of Shadows cradled against her chest. **

**"Lena!" Chris cried as his body completely reformed. Chris' warning died on his lips, far too late as Wyatt brought Lena into his shield, preventing anyone from reaching them. Powering up his hands with energy, Wyatt latched onto Lena, his power sinking through her skin and coursing through her. She screamed as every nerve in her body reacted, her entire being consumed with unbearable pain, and weakening her. However, she held the Book even tighter, determined to not allow Wyatt to win.**

**"You should be on my side, Lena, you know that," Wyatt whispered into her ear as her screams died down, her lungs devoid of air and unable to inhale at all. "Halliwells should never be divided. I could kill you right now, but I trust you'll make the right choice – sooner or later." He pulled his left hand away from her arm, ignoring Chris' constant attempts to break his forcefield from the outside. "If you join me, I promise I won't hurt Chris. I know you're worried about him, Lena, but come over to my side and he'll be perfectly fine, I swear it."**

**Chris shouted horrible things at his brother as he watched his cousin's eyes rolling back in her head. 'Not again, not again, no, no nonononononononononononononono,' his mind shouted, refusing to watch as another loved one died. "Wyatt, stop it! Stop it!"**

**An athame shrouded in black energy appeared in Wyatt's hand. With a slight smile he stabbed it into his cousin's side, watching as the power on the blade transferred to her. He knew Chris would not notice the change, no one would. Her eyes turned black for one instant before her entire body went limp, the Book falling to the floor. Wyatt carefully laid Lena down, sending the athame away and picking up the book. From within the shield he waved at his brother and then orbed into the basement.**

**"Tyler!" Chris shouted, pushing aside his worry for family over his worry about what Wyatt was doing. Without waiting for the whitelighter to arrive, Chris followed Wyatt's orb trail.**

_

* * *

_

"Could you like, not touch me anymore?" Lena asked, pulling free of Phoebe and reaching for the book she had dropped earlier. Suppressing the memories of the scene that had just been reenacted for her family, she hurried out of the room, needing a moment to pull herself back together.

"That was intense," Phoebe stated uncomfortably.

"Do you really believe we can trust this girl?" Piper questioned as soon as Lena's robes could no longer be heard swishing in the hallway. She tried to focus on Lena rather than what she had just seen; that cold look in her oldest child's eyes, the way he so viciously attacked his family. And Chris… oh Chris, she never really thought of how bad all of this had been for him.

"I do," Phoebe responded instantly.

"But don't you think you're a little… biased?" Paige pressed earnestly.

"I think that I'm the empath/psychic in this bunch, is what I think," Phoebe answered. "What I don't see is why we shouldn't believe her?"

"She's made no effort to find Chris," Piper said. "And who knows what could have happened to him by now?"

"I'll get him, I'll bring him here," Lena said suddenly, appearing behind them as if she had shimmered in, rather than walked. "I just had to think it over first."

"Can we come too? We want to help," Phoebe offered.

"No, I can't risk you." Lena began placing various potions bottles in pockets within her robes.

"But you've been working for Wyatt, haven't you? If that was just a cover, then you'd be risking that too," Paige said.

Lena's eyes hardened, a true sign that she was holding her emotions in. "I don't want to sacrifice him for that. I would have – he asked me to if it ever came down to it – for the 'greater good' and all. But now that you're all here and—"

"It must have been difficult for you," Phoebe said, feeling a glimmer of her daughter's emotions.

"Excuse me?"

"Pretending all this time to be on Wyatt's side."

"I'd do it all over again if Chris asked me to," Lena responded fiercely. "He's all I have. Wyatt killed my boyfriend, separated me from my father, and destroyed my best friend. I'm not letting him take Chris away from me too. He promised he would tell me if Chris returned, but he lied, obviously.

"You three hold down the fort until I get back, all right? I'll try to be as quick and discreet as possible. Wish me luck."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then a magical ripple pulled through her, splitting her into two identical copies of herself.

"Woah, what the hell?" Paige asked, leaping to her feet in surprise.

"It's just a power I stole from a demon once upon a time. I'll be back," the duplicates responded. "See ya." With that, the pair shimmered out.

* * *

_He found his brother standing before the Nexus, having recited a spell to draw its power into himself; into Wyatt. As the white light entered his brother's body, Chris tackled him, knocking him onto the floor. However, the Nexus knew its master and had other plans. The light burned Chris wherever it touched him and threw him into the corner of the basement. He landed against some boxes that exploded around him. The remnants sliced at his face and shoulders. He stumbled to his feet, his body aching, his skin burned and throbbing painfully. _

"_Wyatt, stop it! Please, don't do this!" Chris shouted, wondering if Wyatt even listened to what others said to him anymore. If this even was Wyatt. _

_Where was his brother? Where was the person who helped him with his homework, took him on demon vanquishes when he was too young, covered for him when he was caught doing something wrong? Where was the man who cared about him, who loved his family and who would always protect him? _

_He had been swallowed up, devoured by the dark person who had attacked his brother viciously when they were young, healing him afterward and calling it training; the man who forced his way into Chris' mind to see their mother's death, only to accuse Chris of killing her; the person who destroyed their vanquishing potions and spells when they faced the Medusa demon, putting his family in danger for no better reason than to see if they could do it without them; the evil person who came out on rare occasions, challenging everyone and feeling no remorse to those he hurt. That was who Wyatt had become, someone who would try to kill his own relatives. _

_Chris could barely recognize him, and for a heart-stopping moment he wondered if he ever even knew his brother. Maybe that tender, kind person had been the lie, and this man was the reality. How would he ever know? _

_Finally in a blaze of light the Nexus disappeared forever into Wyatt. He flexed his fingers as the power coursed through him, a look of undeniable triumph on his features. "Wyatt, why are you doing this?" Chris demanded._

_"So that we can live," Wyatt said simply, holding the Book tightly. "I am claiming right over this house, if you will not stand beside me, then I want you and Lena out of here."_

_"You can't do that. And you can't take the Book either. Mom left it to me."_

_"You gave up your right over the book when you, me, and Lena mixed our blood and joined ourselves together. As the oldest and the most powerful, the Book falls to me. Just know, things can be different. Join me and you will never suffer again." His body burst into blue and white lights as he orbed away._

_

* * *

_

_When Chris finally went back upstairs it was to find Alec and Tyler leaning over an unconscious Lena. "Chris!" Tyler exclaimed as he limped into the room. Tyler looked surprised to see Chris alive, and as well he should._

_"Lena?" Chris asked, kneeling beside her. Her skin ashen, and her lips colorless, she looked like a ghost of the young woman Chris knew. Tyler's hands were out over her, glowing warmly as he attempted to heal the girl, but her condition did not improve. _

_"She won't heal," Tyler whispered dejectedly. Chris knew the hurt in Tyler's tone was for more than the possible loss of his charge, somewhere in the last year, Tyler and Lena had fallen in love. Chris thought fifteen to be an impossibly young age to have a relationship, especially with a whitelighter who looked 21 but was much, much older than that. But so much had happened in the past four years, what did ages mean anymore anyway? She may be young, but in many ways she was so old._

_"Lena, come on, snap out of it," Chris whispered in her ear tenderly while holding her cold hand in his. "You've got to overcome this, please."_

_"What did he do to her?" Tyler asked furiously._

_"Stabbed her with an athame, I think. It must have been blessed," Chris sighed, still in shock from everything that had happened that day. He lost Wyatt, and now Lena seemed on the verge of death as well._

_"Come on baby, my sweet girl, you've got to pull through, please," Alec whimpered beside her, never feeling so powerless in his entire life.

* * *

_

**A/N: So, how'd you like it? Let me know with a review!**

**See ya,**

**ACE**


	6. One Out of Two Ain't Bad

**A/N: I'm back people! Thanks so much for your reviews of chapter 5, and enjoy chapter 6!**

**BTW I will be making posts in my new fanfic devoted livejournal http://ada-c-eliana. Refer to previous chapter.**

* * *

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 6: One Out of Two Ain't Bad

* * *

_Stand my ground, I won't give in  
No more denying, I've got to face it  
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside  
If I don't make it, someone else will  
Stand my ground_

"Stand My Ground" Within Temptation

* * *

_As she floated listlessly in the empty space between life and death a hand reached out for hers. Surrounded by stunning white light, she tried to make out who it belonged to, but it was all she could see. Tentatively reaching for it, as soon as their skin touched the light disappeared. Instead of hovering, she was now standing beside her body, watching in shock as Tyler attempted to heal, Alec crooned sweet things, and Chris stared in disbelief. She turned to the person who anchored her on the plane and saw a face she had spotted once in her mother's photo album. The album had been shut violently when she asked about him, and later Aunt Paige explained that he was a demon that her mom had fallen in love with. Cole Turner, Belthazor. Since then she had finally heard the stories, and so knew enough about him to be worried that he had prevented her from moving on._

_"Cole?" she asked._

_"Oh good, you know who I am," he responded, quirking a smile at her. He was dressed entirely in black, and had not aged a day. _

_"Am I dying?" she whispered. _

_"No, not yet. Wyatt infected you with evil. Your spirit couldn't take being around the evil as it worked its way through you, so here you are. Don't worry though, if I know anything about the Halliwells, your body will adjust to it and you'll live." _

_"Why would he do that?"_

_"I can only think that he hoped to turn you, he just didn't count on how difficult that really is. He clearly did not learn much from his Aunt Phoebe," Cole shrugged. He stared at Lena's spirit form with intensity. She looked so much like her mother, it was as if he were talking with Phoebe right now. _

_"So… can you help me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Below her Tyler had begun cursing, screaming and hoping his voice carried to the Elders as he demanded their help. Little did he know that the Elders were otherwise occupied at the moment._

_"I hope so," Cole said. "You and Chris can't fight him alone, Lena. You need help. And he hopes to turn you evil, and you cannot possibly stop it by yourself."_

_"So what am I supposed to do?" The situation seemed bleak to say the least._

_"Your body is beginning to overcome the effects of evil, as you go back in, I need you to recite a certain spell in your mind."_

_"What will this spell do?" _

_"Make Wyatt think he's won."_

_"Vague, much? Why should I trust you anyway?" Lena asked, quirking a ghostly eyebrow as she watched his face for any signs of deception._

_"Because I have spent more time than you have existed trying to figure out how to make it up to Phoebe, and I think I may have finally found a way."_

_"I'm scared," she admitted, unsure as to why she told him. He just seemed so understanding._

_"I know you are," Cole sighed, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But I won't let you down, I promise."_

_Her spirit began to fade, heading back towards her body; to where Tyler cried and Chris squeezed her hand so hard it had turned white. "What's the spell?!"_

_

* * *

_

_Lena awoke a week later in San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Her body felt… different in ways she could never put into words. When she opened her eyes she saw Chris staring down at her, his forehead creased with worry. "Chris…" her voice sounded dry and scratchy. _

_"Lena, how are you feeling?" Chris asked hurriedly, reaching for a glass of water. He put it up to her lips, holding her up slightly so she would not choke. _

_"Been better," she smiled. "Where's my dad?"_

"_At the Kalos Vineyard, getting it ready for us," Chris sighed, omitting the part where Wyatt had taken the Manor from them, and expectedly getting a blank look from Lena._

"_What happened, after I--?" She stopped abruptly as a doctor entered the room, smiling as he saw she was awake._

_"Ah, Miss Halliwell-Kalos, good to see you awake," Dr. Bailey smiled. _

_"When can I go home?" Lena questioned quickly, shooting the doctor her sweetest smile. At the same time she used power of telepathy – a little weak at the moment but still there – to probe his mind slightly. She found that he wanted her to stay for a battery of tests, and frowned. She was a witch, and she had been stabbed by a cursed athame. It wasn't like she needed a tetanus shot now. As subtle as she could, she influenced the doctor's thoughts, changing his mind._

_"Well, I can let you go whenever you like. Just stick with bed rest for now, and come back in a few days to get some of your test results. I'll get you the release papers."_

_"Thank you," Lena responded as Dr. Bailey walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him. She looked over to see Chris glaring at her. "What?" she asked innocently._

_"Telepathy to get you out of the hospital sooner?" Chris accused. _

_"I would never…" she trailed off when she saw Chris was not convinced. "I just… don't like hospitals, okay? And it's not like they could do anything for me anyway."_

_Chris nodded, he shared in Lena's hatred of hospitals, it had been less than a year ago that their grandfather Victor had finally succumbed to lung cancer and died. They spent a lot of time visiting him there, surrounded by the scent of disinfectant and white walls. _

_

* * *

_

**Lena I **

"WYATT!" Lena screamed as she shimmered into a large marble great room. "WYATT, WHERE IS HE?!!"

"Lena?" Wyatt's voice laughed condescendingly even before the twice-blessed witch appeared before her. Dressed all in black, he chuckled softly and wiped a spatter of blood from his cheek as he approached her. He knew her game plan; she was here to distract him, most likely while the others went to rescue Chris. It would have been a brilliant plan – if he did not know her as well as he did.

"Where is he? You swore you would tell me if he came back, and you didn't! I want to know what you've done with Chris!" His voice bordered on hysterics, but Wyatt knew half of it was an act.

"Calm down, Lena. I haven't 'done' anything to Chris, we just chatted," Wyatt smiled.

"And whenever you 'chat' with someone they usually turn up dead. And you're covered with someone's blood. I'm not an idiot, Wyatt."

"No, but you pretend to be one quite well."

"Should I be flattered?"

"When did you become so bold?" Wyatt questioned, barely moving his hand. The force of that small action coupled with TK had her flying across the room. Branching out with her paternal power of the elements, she stirred the air around her to slow her movement and stood again.

"I'm sorry, Wyatt," Lena muttered, head bowed. "But you know how I feel about—"

"As if that should matter to me. Lena you need to discard such useless feelings such as love and friendship, you know it unhinges you. All you need to worry about is power."

"I have enough power. I just want someone to share it with. Just like you."

"You presume too much."

"You always wanted to share it with us, that's why you did this," Lena said, holding up her right arm.

"I did that to bind you and Chris to me, and it worked. I can sense you all the time, you cannot hide from me; not even in your little house in the Underworld."

Her eyes widened a bit at that revelation, but she soldiered on nonetheless. "Where is Chris?"

"Come on Lena, let's chat, shall we?" Wyatt said conversationally, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's talk about the child you are going to have."

* * *

Lena – II

Stalactite ceilings dripped with moisture, in a dark and gloomy cavern, as Lena crept through the shadows. The stalactites were not real, but a conjured effect that Wyatt thought made the dungeons seem ominous. And it worked.

As Lena approached the guards, they immediately backed away from her, remembering the fierce witch/warlock they had seen vanquishing demons for so little as looking at her the wrong way. "The Master sent me," Lena shouted, "Now get out of my way." As they leapt back to allow her access to the dungeons, Lena paused. Without a second thought, fireballs formed in her hands and she thrust them at the guards, incinerating both on contact.

The prisoners stirred in their magical cages as the female Halliwell stalked through the rows searching for her cousin. Several members of The Resistance stared back at her through gaunt faces and hollowed eyes. Some recognized her as their ally, others as the enemy. However, all wondered why she was there. No one had access to the prison aside from Wyatt and the guards, and Lena had certainly never been there before.

"Lena!" a male voice called through the gloom. Whirling in the direction of the voice, she saw Jason, the Chinese upper-level member of The Resistance. He used an Eastern magic and called himself the Dragon. Lena and Jason had met on numerous occasions with Chris to discuss the situation with Wyatt. He had pursued Lena romantically for years. She liked him, but not enough to risk everything they worked so hard for. When Chris left for the past, Lena broke off connections with the Resistance, worried about possible spies and moles that would turn her in to Wyatt. As such, she had no idea that Jason had been captured.

"Lena, help me!" he begged, his dark eyes beseeching her. Sighing with agitation, she conjured a silence barrier so she could speak to him away from the weak ears of other prisoners.

"Where's Chris?" she demanded.

"He's here?" Jason asked with wide eyes. "But he was supposed to be in the…"

Shaking her head, she branched out with her empathic powers, searching for her cousin, but found them blocked. "Goddamn," she muttered. Then she turned her attention back to the witch before her. "Stand back." Summoning a fire ball and an energy blast, she aimed at the bars' weak spot – something she had learned from Chris – and dismantled the corner.

"Lena, wow, thank you so much!" he gushed, honestly believing that no matter how "good" she was, she would never have rescued him.

Knowing the alarm triggered by the cage's destruction would sound soon and she had little time, Lena grabbed Jason's arm and ran with him.

Good magic became distorted in the dungeons, unreliable and inaccurate. It suited Wyatt's purposes – the good witches he caught would be helpless while he still retained his demonic abilities. And it worked for Lena too. Witches like Jason possessed powers to which the rules did not apply, so he would be able to use his abilities anywhere outside of the cages.

"Can you feel for Chris?" she asked Jason. He nodded and shot off towards the back of the dungeons.

Zigzagged patterns of cells, blocked tunnels, and various traps made the dungeons a deadly labyrinth. Lena guided Jason through the treacherous path until they arrived at the farthest corner from the entrance.

She found her cousin sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around him in the most secure cell of Wyatt's dungeon. "Chris," she hissed through the bars. A barely perceptible lift of his head let Lena know he was still alive.

"Len…" he whispered through a raw and sore throat, the word coming out as 'Lane'. "Shouldn't… be… here…"

"Jason, I'm gonna need your help to get him out," Lena ordered. Her demon sense picked up on various shimmers and flames, Wyatt's crew were on their way. Concentrating hard, the two witches combined their powers, Lena's evil and Jason's foreign. Together they busted through the bars and held Chris up over their shoulders, going back the way they came.

"Lena, where are we going to go?" Jason asked, his dark brown eyes clouded with fear. He watched Lena intently. As one of the Charmed Ones she could be known to think of something in a pinch, it was one of the reasons he loved her. But now he could see something different in her eyes. And he knew he would hate her answer.

"Nowhere," she answered solemnly, stopping abruptly. She shifted Chris so that she held him up alone. "I'm sorry, Jason, but he can't know it was me," she whispered, her voice strangely cold. She shimmered Chris away, sending him safely to her home. Glamouring into the demon guard she vanquished earlier, she glared at Jason. Her glamoured eyes welled with sorrow for a moment, and she silently mouthed "I'm sorry" to Jason. Then she cast a spell, removing the memories of the last ten minutes from everyone in the dungeons. Turning to Jason again, she completed her ruse.

"You helped him escape!" she yelled, loud enough to send the guards running her way. As soon as they could see the pair, she created an energy ball and threw it at Jason, killing him instantly. "Make sure Master Wyatt knows about this," DemonLena ordered, and then she shimmered away.

_

* * *

_

_2022_

_Lena pulled off her coat – new just like everything else she was wearing as Wyatt had cordoned off the house – and dropped it as she entered the foyer of the home she had spent the first eleven years of her life. She still felt unsettled and off balance after what happened to her, but being back in the Kalos house away from the Manor and Wyatt made her feel centered somehow. Chris had orbed them both inside; and he watched the relaxed expression on her face with amusement before picking up her coat to hang it up._

_"Home," Lena sighed, turning to face Chris. She got a good look at him for the first time since she had been stabbed. And what she saw frightened her. "Chris, what happened?" she asked._

_"Come on, let's sit down," Chris suggested, taking her arm as she was still unsteady, and walking towards the drawing room._

_"Lena?" Alec called from the balcony stairwell as they entered, his eyes wide with relief. He ran down the stairs two at a time and wrapped his arms around his daughter. "I was about to go back to the hospital to see you. They let you out already?"_

_"Well, not exactly, but I – er – convinced them," she smiled. _

_"Chris, thanks for bringing her home," Alec said, acknowledging the young man for the first time. Alec always made it a point to be polite like that, but in reality, he and Chris were quite close. _

_"No problem," Chris sighed._

_"Come on you two, sit down, I'll get some drinks," Alec ordered, seating his daughter down on a stately couch before disappearing into the hallway._

_"Why are we here, what about the Manor?" Lena asked immediately._

_"Wyatt's taken it. I went back before to try and get some of our things, but he had demons guarding it, and I couldn't go inside."_

_"But what about the Nexus?"_

_"He absorbed the Nexus," Chris whispered in defeat. "I saw it, and I could not stop him." _

_"He took the Book too, didn't he?"_

_"Yeah, and there's more. I just found out that he killed all of the Elders. Well, except Dad, but I don't think he really counts anymore…" Chris paused before standing and pacing. "God, Lena, how did all of this happen? What's wrong with him?" Chris' voice broke as he spoke. _

_"That look in his eyes… the things he said…" Lena muttered more to herself than her cousin. _

_"He's the one trying to become the Source, I just know it. How could he? Why would he? I just don't understand." Chris stood, running an agitated hand through his hair._

_Her hand reached to where her tank top covered a thin black scar that ran vertical beneath her rib cage. "Do you remember all of those demons Wyatt sent us after? The things they said to him? They were the only ones who stood in his way of becoming the Source, and he used us to get rid of them. He's been playing us for a while."_

_"Wyatt wouldn't do that."_

_"And Wyatt wouldn't absorb the Nexus, kill the Elders, and stab me with a cursed athame, but he has, he did, and we have to figure out what to do now."_

_"We're getting away from him," Alec announced as he entered the room, a tray with drinks and snacks in his hands._

_"Where are we going to go? He'll find us," Lena admitted angrily._

_"There is a small isle in Greece. It is the origin of our family and our powers, it has acted as a safe haven for the Kalos witches for centuries. If we go there, he won't be able to find us."_

_"How come I've never heard of this place before?" Lena asked. "Why didn't we go there when the demons were coming after Mom, why—"_

_"Lena, your mom wouldn't let me take her there. She didn't believe in running at the time, but I think now, given the circumstances…"_

_"I agree, let's go. Chris, orb us," Lena commanded._

_"You can't orb there, it's protected. Our best bet is to get to Greece first, and then get a boat out to the Isle."_

_"None of you are going anywhere!" Wyatt's voice echoed all around them. Three sets of eyes darted around the room in time for a brilliant explosion to rock the mansion. The bricks crumbled and the ceiling began to cave in. Chris grabbed Lena's hand, orbing the two of them outside, while Alec faded out. _

_When the cousins appeared on the Mansion's grounds, another explosion ripped through the Kalos home, sending Chris and Lena flying with the blast. Bricks and mortar piled on top of them, burying them, and all the while the mansion continued to be inundated with blasts. _

_"Lena!" Chris called as he orbed from the rubble, searching the area for any sign of his younger cousin. He pushed the continuing hail of shrapnel back with a well aimed burst of telekinesis as he used his power to dig through the piles._

_Lena choked on the dust around her as more blocks landed on her bruised and bloodied body. Her scar from the athame throbbed painfully. Struggling to free her body from the smoldering remains of her ancestral home, she heard a deep voice laughing in the distance. _

_Chris turned to find Wyatt standing in front of the burning remnants of the once-stately mansion, a smile on his face. "Did you really think I would just let you two come back to this mansion and sit around plotting my demise? Do you really think that I am that stupid?" Wyatt demanded coldly, his eyes sparkling with mirth. Chris stared down the warped image of the man he had once known, never feeling so lost in his life. Everywhere around him were the charred and flaming bits of rubble, and somewhere beneath it all lay his only other blood relative. And Chris realized that he had yet to spot Alec either. _

_It all came down to him and Wyatt. _

_Brother against brother._

"_Stop this, can't you see what you're doing Wyatt? Killing the Elders, attacking your family? What would Mom think of all of this? What would she say?" Chris asked plainly._

_"She would realize that this is the only way anyone in our family will be able to have a decent life. I'm doing this for you as much as I'm doing this for me, Chris. Can't you see that?" Wyatt demanded._

_"All I can see is you hurting people. I know what you've been doing, Wyatt. You've killed innocents. You're planning on taking over the Underworld and becoming the Source. You think she would be proud of you? Well, why don't we summon her spirit so she can tell us herself. No pesky rules anymore, right? So come on, conjure some candles!" Chris challenged Wyatt. _

_"I do not need Mom to tell me what I already know. This is the way it has to be. But you and me – we should not be fighting. Join me, Chris, and I will protect you always. You won't be surrounded by death and hopelessness anymore. I am going to create a world where we can use our magic without fear of exposure of consequences. It is our birthright as the most powerful witches ever born."_

_"Our birthright is to protect innocents and vanquish demons! Not create some twisted regime! Wyatt you're being a fool, why can't you see sense?"_

_"I will not allow anyone to insult me, not even you!" Wyatt growled, throwing Chris backward into a tree. Chris fell out of it, and then began telekinetically throwing rubble at Wyatt. Erecting his shield, Wyatt stood unfazed by the rocks and bricks thrown about him, and sent a shaft of lightning at his brother. Chris dodged, running through the uneven slope of the yard and firing more debris at the shield. Alec appeared and attempted to intervene, earning himself a concussion when Wyatt slammed him repeatedly into a wall. He then turned his attention back to his brother and their deadly game of attack and defense. _

_They continued to fight for some time, unaware of Lena digging herself out of the remains. Finally Wyatt managed to land a few good hits in on Chris, rendering him helpless as he collapsed to the ground, clutching at an energy burn on his chest. Wyatt stalked over to him, holding his brother frozen in place with his power and frowning. "I will bring you over to my side, Chris. I have heard people will agree to just about anything, if given the right incentive." To illustrate his point, he fired an energy ball at him, frying his right shoulder._

_"Where'd… you hear… that? The History Channel's special on Josef Stalin?" Chris coughed. _

_Wyatt just powered up another energy bomb, ignoring Chris' comment. He pulled his arm back to fire it when a female voice screamed._

_Spinning around he saw Lena, bracing the upper half of her body above the rubble with her hands, her legs buried, shouting at him. A moment later, she had shimmered out of sight and she reappeared beside Wyatt._

_"That's new," Wyatt commented on her demonic teleportation ability with a prideful smile._

_"What did you do to me?" Lena asked in horror at herself. She put all of her weight on her right leg, her left ankle had been twisted badly, and tendrils of pain shot through her._

_"You'll find out," Wyatt laughed. "Now, was there a reason why you interrupted me?"_

_Lena's eyes darted between Chris, pinned in place by Wyatt's magic, and Wyatt, energy bomb in hand. Behind her, her father had begun to rise. Wyatt's words from a week ago echoed in her mind as she saw how close he was to seriously injuring Chris. 'If you join me, I promise I won't hurt Chris. I know you're worried about him, Lena, but come over to my side and he'll be perfectly fine, I swear it.'_

_"I… I… I don't want you to hurt him," she said lamely, the words catching in her throat as terror overpowered her._

_"Does this mean you're accepting my proposal?" Wyatt questioned happily._

_"Ye-yes," Lena stuttered, wiping some blood off of her cheek. _

_Wyatt smiled warmly, placing his arm around his cousin's shoulder. "Good choice, Lena. Now let's go, we have an empire to build," Wyatt laughed, dissolving the energy ball he held and turning around. _

"_Lena, no!" Alec cried, racing at the pair. Wyatt merely extended his shield, enveloping Lena within its boundaries. _

"_You're next, Chris. Think about it. You want us all to be together, I know you do. Once you join us, the Power of Three will be whole again. Think about it, little brother."_

_With one last glance back at Chris, a glance full of sorrow and regret, of words left unspoken and unanswered questions, a look of love and caring, she followed Wyatt._

_As he watched Lena and Wyatt walk away, outlined by the hulking ruins of the Kalos Mansion, Chris heard Wyatt's words clearly in his mind. _

'_I know I can get our little cousin over there on my side. And then Chris, you'll truly know what it feels like to be alone. To be by yourself in a world out of control, at the mercy of those you used to trust. And let me tell you, Christopher, when that happens, then you'll finally see that there is no 'greater good' and there is nothing more that you can hope for in this life than plain old survival.'_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: The next chapter will be heating things up on the evil-Wyatt front! **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I would love to know what you thought. Say it with a review!**

**-A.C.E.**


	7. Trapped in the Future

**A/N: Another day, another chapter... if only that's how it works. Anyway, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers. I so appreciate your responses. Thank you very much. I hope enjoy chapter seven.**

**Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one.

* * *

**

Bound by Blood

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 7: Trapped in the Future

* * *

_You took my heart  
Deceived me right from the start  
You showed me dreams  
I wished they'd turn to real  
You broke the promise  
And made me realize  
It was all just a lie_

"Angels" Within Temptation

* * *

Lena – I

* * *

Lena sat, legs crossed, at an intimately small table off to the side of Wyatt's main office. Magical devices buzzed in the room, taking careful note of any variations in power or auras within the room; keeping watch for intruders. Magic remained palpable in the room, floating in the air and resting on all of the furniture.

Wyatt returned from a closet he stored food in and placed a goblet full of some dark liquid in front of Lena, and then filled his own from a wine bottle. Lena stared at the beverage for a long moment. "It's not poisoned," Wyatt laughed as he sat across from her. Her eyes leveled with his for a moment before she grudgingly picked up the goblet and sipped from it. The drink felt viscous on her tongue and tasted vile, a shudder ran through her as she swallowed. Wyatt often served her this drink, despite its disgusting flavor, and so she had grown accustomed to it.

"There's nothing to talk about here except for you telling me what happened when Chris came through the portal," Lena pressed, swishing the drink around in the goblet to avoid finishing it.

"Why do you care so much?" Wyatt asked, mockingly. It seemed that every word he had ever said had some undertone of mockery in it.

"Um, hello, he's my cousin." She immediately bit her lip, cursing herself for using sarcasm in front of Wyatt, he hated it. "I'm sorry," she muttered, lowering her eyes. "I just…"

"You just what?" Wyatt prodded, his eyes seeming to soften, but only for a moment and then old hardness returned.

"Why can't you just treat me like an equal? Or at least like family, not just like another of your lackeys!" she said, standing and stepping back from the table. If she ended up inciting a fight between them, she would need some room to work with. "I've always done what you asked me to do, even after you broke your promise," she added hoping to keep him calm long enough for her other half to escape with Chris. She turned her back on him, using her mental eye to watch him.

"And I'm happy to have you on my side, Lena, you know that." He almost sounded sincere.

"Do I?" she turned to face him again, eyes shining.

"Why else would I select you for this?"

"Wyatt, I don't—" Lena began, but Wyatt sent the goblet flying back into her hand.

"You didn't finish it," he said, disregarding what she had been about to say.

"Don't think I've ever mistaken your love of my power for love of me," she whispered spitefully and then downed the rest of the liquid, dropping the goblet to the floor with a loud clatter. Her eyes immediately changed to soulless black, something Lena could not notice. Wyatt smirked, and then they shifted back to their usual state. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as a blaring siren erupted in Wyatt's 'office.'

"Someone's broken out of the dungeon!" Wyatt yelled with faux annoyance to make Lena think her little ploy was a success.

"What? Your dungeon? That's impossible!" Lena protested; her acting infallible.

"Lena, if you don't want to get your hands dirty with the escapee, then I suggest you leave, now."

He would let her out, but he would be watching her.

* * *

The dual Lena's shimmered into the mansion simultaneously, merging into one person as they did so. Fear driving her into haste, she ran out of the living room, her mother and aunts yelling and chasing after her, and raced to a seemingly blank wall. Reaching out, the wall reacted to her touch and morphed into a door. She whispered an incantation, and dragged the heavy metal portal open. "Get in, hurry!" Lena shouted as the trio of witches from the past rushed in past her. She followed after them, slamming the door shut with a resounding thud.

Surrounded by an impressive configuration of magical protections, Chris lay bleeding and barely conscious. Piper gasped, pushing past Lena and kneeling beside the bed, taking Chris' hand in hers. Paige and Phoebe moved to join Piper, but Lena's outstretched arms stopped them.

"You take this," she said, reaching into a cherry cabinet in the corner of the room and pulling out a black canister. She pushed it at Phoebe. "And you take these." She handed Paige a roll of bandages and a towel.

"Can't you call a Whitelighter to heal him?!" Piper demanded, Chris' pulse faint against her hand. "What about Leo, can't you call him?!"

"No, I can't call anyone. No one can come, no one can heal. Good old fashioned Kalos healing balm is the best we can do." She began ripping Chris' shirt and inspecting his wounds, instructing Phoebe to dab the pale yellow ointment from the jar onto the cuts, and Paige to bandage them.

* * *

Watching the steady (albeit slow) rise and falls of her cousin's chest, Lena's mind sought out the first time Phoebe had used her husband's family's healing concoction on Chris rather than call for Wyatt or Leo.

* * *

_2014_

_Alec Kalos, tall with slick black hair, olive skin, and sea-green eyes sat in the drawing room of his family's ancestral mansion, somewhere on the outskirts of San Francisco. His daughter, seven year old Lena, leaned against him, her hands on his chest as he told her a story about his early demon fighting escapades. Behind them, Phoebe worked on finishing her column for the newspaper, chuckling softly as Alec described his arm catching on fire, and how he had run around screaming in two languages like a lunatic, completely forgetting that he could conjure water to extinguish it. _

_Twinkling orbs and a soft sniffle announced the arrival of a magical visitor. Without even looking up, Phoebe knew it was Chris. She leapt to her feet, approaching her nephew who stared around sheepishly from where he had appeared in the corner. A large hole in his shirt revealed a severe burn, deep scratches dripped red on his cheek, his hair was a mess, and his face was screwed up somewhere between guilt and fear. _

_"Chris, honey, what happened?" Phoebe asked quickly, crouching down in front of him so she could look the 10 year-old witch/whitelighter in his sad green eyes._

_Alec and Lena looked on silently. Alec did not want to interfere in this, but he cared about the boy just the same. _

_"Nu… nothin'… I'm sorry… Aunt Phoebe, I should just leave…" Chris whispered. His body began to fade into orb sparkles, but Phoebe reached out and clasped his hands tightly, forcing him back._

_"Come here," Phoebe said gently, pulling her reluctant nephew into the drawing room and sitting him down on the other couch, seating herself close beside him. "Who hurt you?" she prodded. _

_"Wyatt he… well… he didn't mean it…" Chris said, not convincing anyone in the room and certainly not convincing himself either. "It was like practice, or training, but he… I just didn't know what to do…" He paused, trying not to let out any of his emotions. "He said he would heal me once he was done, but I didn't know when that would be. He looked so mad, I don't know what I did, but I didn't want him near me, or to go home, so I came here… You're not mad, Aunt Phoebes? Are you?" he asked, his eyes glistening with unshed tears._

_"Of course I'm not mad. Not at you anyway. Let me call your dad, he'll heal you—"_

_"No! I don't want him here," he muttered angrily. _

_"Okay. Alec, could you get me some balm?" Phoebe requested. Alec immediately did as asked, casting a worried glance at his wife as he did. _

_Phoebe tenderly treated Chris' injuries, pulling out some of his clothes that she kept for overnight visits for him to wear. She sent Chris and Lena into the other room to play, but both hung back, eavesdropping as she phoned her sister._

_"Piper," she said in response to the hello she received._

_"Please tell me Chris is with you!" Piper's voice shouted through the receiver._

_"Yes, he's here. And he's okay – mostly. Listen, is Wyatt over there?" A pause. "Yeah, well I don't know Piper, but you have to find some way of controlling him. I don't see how using his little brother for target practice is 'okay.' Maybe Leo could talk to him?" Another break as Piper spoke on the other end._

_"Chris' pretty upset, but he won't talk about it – you know how he is. He loves Wyatt, and I just wish you could stop these things from happening… I know you've been trying… I get it." _

_"I'm going to keep him here tonight, okay? He can play with Lena, and if he's up for it, Alec would be more than happy to help him out with training. He'll be fine, Piper. I promise."_

_Phoebe seemed more worried than ever once she got off the phone with her sister, and more determined to keep her nephew safe from, well, her other nephew.

* * *

_

_Alec made good on his promise. A strong, quiet man, he was the stable rock for Phoebe to lean on, had been since she met him. His family owned a successful vineyard, and used spare profits to fund their Wiccan shop. Alec was an only child, raised to take over the family business – both of them. And he inherited his family's home upon his parent's death. Alec also inherited his family's control over the four elements, a power that he had struggled most of his life to control as they developed, and so he understood the Halliwell children's plight when it came to their rapidly increasing powers._

_Working with Chris and Lena often, he taught them control over their abilities, and helped fine-tune their reaction time to attack. He taught them many things that they would treasure and thank the Lord for once Wyatt finally turned._

_"I'm going to demonstrate what it looks like when I use each element, okay?" Alec prompted the two youngsters in front of him. They were in the courtyard of his mansion, protected from curious neighbors. _

_They nodded, watching him intently. _

_He extended his arms from his sides, and waved his hands gracefully back and forth. The trio all felt the air stir around them, controlled and created in Alec's strong magical grasp. A moment later, he shot his hands forward, releasing the air he had collected and sending it forcefully at the target before him. It smashed to the ground as if hit by telekinesis. _

_For his next demonstration, he held his hands out, staring at the sky as he concentrated. A moment later, balls of flame erupted in his palms, shooting upward and forming a half-circle of fire. This too he aimed at a target, allowing it to incinerate._

_Next, he held his hands out before him, fingers curled to form a sphere. Within the sphere, blue light formed, morphing into water that flowed in the trappings of his hands. He opened his hands and shot the water out, drenching the lawn in front of him. _

_"And the last one," he said with a smile, noticing that the children seemed entranced by his powers. He had nearly forgotten how incredible watching magic could be when you were young. He aimed his hands at the ground, feeling a tremor form and allowing the earth to crack before him, crack and rear up in a flurry of dirt and rock._

_"Now, I'm going to do it again, this time randomly, and I'll aim them at you two. Don't be afraid, if you can't react fast enough I'll cut it off, okay? Just do your best to deflect whatever I send at you."_

_He circled his hands, and Chris and Lena tensed, waiting for the water to fly at them. After a moment it did, and Chris struck out with telekinesis, sending the water spraying back at Alec. He closed his hand and the conjured element dissolved. Then he quickly held his hands out and created a column of fire. Watching the fear that briefly crossed their faces, he watched his power closely as he shot it at the children. Lena reacted first this time, forming her own ball of water and using it to extinguish his attack._

_The cousins slapped hands, proud of their achievements, and Alec announced happily that they were done for the day._

_

* * *

_

2027

"Lena," Phoebe whispered tentatively. Her daughter's eyes had the glazed look of someone not really paying attention to the world around them, and it bothered Phoebe. A lot about this future bothered Phoebe, and she had barely been there an hour yet.

"Hmm? Yeah?" Lena responded wearily.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Stuff; stuff that happened before… you know…" she paused as she gathered her thoughts. Her urge to tell her mother all of her problems overwhelmed the rationality of 'future consequences.' "Sometimes I think it would be easier to just forget about it, but then, if I did, I don't think I could resist him anymore," she mumbled, her eyes heavy and her body tired.

"There were good times, weren't there?" Phoebe asked softly, almost fearing the answer.

"Yes, tons of them!" Lena responded happily. "There were so many great things, and great times, but after you… after you died… they basically ended. We did… you know… and nothing was ever the same…"

"I'm sorry."

"I just want my family back, is that so much to ask for?" Lena questioned, her words emitting in a rush. She rose from her seat beside Chris and paced in front of the vault door with growing agitation, knowing that the Vault was the only thing protecting her from a very dangerous member of her family. Paige and Piper watched on silently from the other side of the bed. "I want Wyatt to be normal again! I want Chris to not have to be so… in control, so stoic all the time! I want to be able to be around people I care about without pretending to be evil! I want my friends, and my mother, and my aunts, and Prue and Nel! I want to be ME! And God, I want to laugh and have fun, I just want my life, the life I should have had!" her voice broke at the end of her diatribe, and she leaned forward into the wall, not wanting them to see her tears. A moment later her mask slipped back into place; that hardened, unreadable look that worked so well when she met with demons or had one-on-ones with Wyatt.

"I'm sorry," she said briskly, her eyes staring just above Phoebe's head. "I shouldn't have gone off like that. I just don't usually have anyone around to talk to, and it gets hard. Sorry." Without a word, Phoebe reached her in three quick strides and wrapped her arms around her girl. She felt Lena's body stiffen before she relaxed in the embrace, and with their close contact, Phoebe sensed the terror, sorrow, and resolve that overwhelmed Lena.

"I hate to break this up, but every moment we stay here we're in danger. We need to get home," Piper said uncomfortably.

"I know," Lena responded, wiping away the few tears that had escaped her tight control. "But I don't know how we'll be able to manage that."

"Why?" Paige questioned, not wanting to be trapped in this future now that Chris was safe, when Wyatt was in danger in the past.

"The only place you can time travel from here is the attic in the Manor, but now Wyatt's on guard, it won't be easy getting in there."

"But why can't we just time travel from here?" Phoebe asked.

"Wyatt's set up so many magical barriers and blocks all over. And just creating a portal in the first place is dangerous, but there already is one in the Manor. That's where Chris left from originally, and where Bianca brought Chris here last time, it's the only place you can use that much heavy duty magic. And beside the point, you can't time travel in the Underworld, and that's kind of where we are now… To even attempt getting into the Manor you'll need Chris to be at least in better shape than he is now, it's just too dangerous at this point."

"Waitaminute!" Phoebe protested. "We're in the Underworld?"

"Yeah," Lena responded.

"But then what's with the ocean view? I don't remember that being in the Underworld."

"It's an illusion. I cast a spell on the windows to make it look like that, it also makes sunlight stream through the windows at the correct times of day." She smiled at her ingenuity, her gaze straying to Paige, who had taught her that spell in the first place.

"Seriously?" Paige questioned. "Next you're gonna tell us that you _conjured_ the house we're standing in."

Lena grinned sheepishly in response.

"WHAT?! What about personal gain?" Paige demanded, her eyes wide and stunned.

"No Elders, no personal gain, funny how that worked out…" Lena shrugged. "Well I know it's a little overdue, but… uh… make yourselves comfortable, we might be in here for a while."

"Why are we in here exactly? Why can't we go into the house?" Piper asked, still distrustful of Lena, and even more nervous now that she had locked them in a hidden room.

"This is the Vault. It protects us from demons, Whitelighters, witches, ogres, you name it, and it can't sense we're in here. I used to house injured Resistance witches here while they recovered; it was the safest place to be." Lena paused, leaving out the part where she had hidden Chris there until Wyatt came and forced her to release the Vault's seal.

"But Wyatt let it slip earlier that he can sense me in the house, something I thought he couldn't do, so that means he can sense you too, so now we're safely in the Vault."

* * *

2022

_Wyatt scooped Lena into his arms as he orbed away from her family's vineyard and into his Underworld compound. She tensed in his grasp, but otherwise made no move to escape it. Wyatt knew that she was hurt, confused, and angry, but still, she was here, she had chosen him. It was one victory at least. _

_Minding her injured leg, Wyatt carried her through a dimly lit hallway and to a door that sported a bright pink 'Lena's Room' sign that had hung on her door at the Manor. He telekinetically tossed the door open and walked in._

_Lena gasped at what she was seeing. Her entire bedroom in the Manor had been reproduced, right down to the purple striped wallpaper and girly bedding. Her various mementos were propped up on the exact desk from her room. Everything appeared exactly the same. Wyatt lowered Lena to the bed, and sat down next to her, holding his hands out over her to heal her injuries. Lena stared at his face as he did; in that moment he seemed so gentle, so tender. After all, the trigger for healing was love, wasn't it? Or maybe his love of power triggered it now… _

_She breathed a sigh of relief as her pain trickled away, replaced by the warmth of whitelighter healing. "You okay?" Wyatt asked quietly._

_"As well as can be expected," Lena responded apathetically, remembering the destruction of her home, and the fact that whatever he did to her gave her a demonic power. _

_"I don't want to hurt you, Lena. And as long as you stick by me, I won't hurt you."_

_"But about Chris? You said you wouldn't hurt him," Lena reminded Wyatt, leaning closer to him, a note of hope in her voice._

_"I did promise that, and I plan to keep that promise."_

_"And my father? Please… don't hurt my Dad… I know he's not exactly your best friend, but…"_

_"I'll leave him alone, Len, he's not a threat to me anyway." _

"_And Tyler…"_

"_Fine cousin, I'll leave your whitelighter alone," Wyatt answered, staring at his cousin as if trying to read her thoughts. _

"_You'll be happy here. I brought everything from your bedroom in the Manor," he added, standing. Lena stood as well, walking over to the closet and finding it filled with her old clothes, and lots and lots of black clothing: shirts, skirts, pants, dresses, shoes, all black. She worried about opening the top drawer of her dresser, it would undoubtedly contain all kinds of black bras and underwear. _

_"Going monochromatic?" Lena asked, forcing the negative thoughts from her mind and trying to keep the conversation light and familial. She knew what Wyatt could do, what he was capable of, and she had no desire to goad him into a fight. She had joined him to protect Chris, and so she would serve her time as the good little Charmed cousin. Only later would she realize what an impossible task she had given herself._

_"You'll need something black to wear. My coronation is tonight, and I want you there by my side," Wyatt said. It was an order cloaked in a request._

_"Coronation? As in 'long live the king' 'source of all evil' type of coronation?" Lena pressed._

_"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"_

_"Ummm… no, it's fine," she responded, chewing on her lower lip nervously._

_"I have some work to do, don't get into any trouble while I'm gone. That door over there," he pointed to a door she hadn't noticed. "Leads to the hallway of your living area, there's a bathroom, kitchen, and living room off of it," Wyatt informed her. Lena's eyes widened at how much effort he had put into a living space for her. She wondered if somewhere in here Wyatt had prepared rooms for Chris as well._

_"All right, thanks Wy," Lena said as he closed the door._

_Finally alone, Lena sat down at her vanity, staring despondently at her own reflection. Something behind him flickered, and Cole appeared in the mirror. Lena whipped around, but there was no one there._

_"Good job so far, kid," Cole greeted from the glass. _

_"You sure?" she asked. The spell Cole had her recite had somehow attached his soul to her own, and the evil Wyatt had so lovingly forced into her body recognized the demon Cole had once been, and granted her his powers accordingly. Hence the shimmer, rather than flaming, and other little surprises she was sure were waiting for her. "I've joined Wyatt, I can shimmer, none of this sounds particularly 'good'," she sighed._

_"Good is a state of mind. And powers are not inherently good or evil, it just depends on who uses them," he answered, studying the sorrow in her eyes._

_"Cole?" she asked tentatively after a moment._

_"Yes?"_

_"You loved my mother, right?" Her voice was barely above a whisper._

_"Yes, I did, very much," he responded, his tone thick with emotion._

_"So even though you were a demon, you could still love," Lena clarified, needing to know the answer so very badly._

_"Honey, I was the Source of All Evil and I still loved your mother. Love, your emotions, they are part of you being human, and he can never take that away from you. You could choose to embrace the darkness and suppress your feelings, but as long as you want to feel, you always will."_

_"Good, because I would hate for the reason I'm doing this in the first place to become overshadowed in the end," she whispered with relief. "I hate this, and it's barely even begun."_

_"You know what you have to do, and why you must do it."_

_"What if it doesn't work, what if it doesn't make any difference in the end? I can't stop him tonight, you know that as well as I do. And I also know that he doesn't trust me, at least not yet. What will I have to do to gain it, what will I have to give up to be accepted by him?"_

_"What cost would be too high?" Cole asked seriously._

_"Nothing. I would do anything for him, for both of them. It may be selfish, but I guess I can live with that."_

_"You're so much your mother's daughter," Cole said with a smile. "So, are you ready?" he pushed._

_"Yeah," she said. She pulled open the top drawer of the vanity, hoping beyond hope that he really had moved her furniture and all of its contents into this room. Running her fingers along the back of the drawer, the enchantment she placed there released and she pulled it open to its full length, revealing a slim knife case. Her heart beating quickly and loudly, she sucked in a breath and opened it, revealing the athame she had kept secret for three years. Her fingers caressed the cold steel of the blade as she touched it for the first time. Her jaw set, she remembered why she was doing this, and lifted the weapon into her right hand. She held it, staring at it as its magic reacted to her and she felt the powers long-ago stolen seek release from the athame and flow into her. _

_Closing her eyes, she recited a spell._

_"Weapon born of evil's power,_

_Become mine in this hour_

_I bind this athame to me,_

_So that it may not roam free."_

_The athame glowed red in her hand and then abruptly disappeared. "Cole?" Lena questioned, staring at her empty hand._

_"Concentrate on it," Cole suggested. She did so and it appeared in her hand again._

_"Cool," Lena said with a slight smile._

_"Cast the next spell."_

_

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_

**A/N: A lot more Chris in the next chapter, I'm just setting a lot of things up at this point. Thank you for reading and please review!**

**'Till next time,**

**A.C.E.**


	8. The Source of All Evil

**A/N: It's been a long time I know, and I apologize. I've been a little overwhelmed lately, but don't worry, I'm back now. Thank you to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers, you guys are fantastic! I hope you enjoy chapter 8.**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter.

* * *

**

Bound By Blood

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 8: The Source of All Evil

* * *

_But the world is black  
And hearts are cold  
And there's no hope  
That's what we're told  
And we can't go back  
It won't be the same  
Forever changed  
By the things we've seen, seen _

"The World is Black" Good Charlotte

* * *

2027

Chris floated on the edges of consciousness, not really awake in any sense but not unconscious either. He felt hands covered in something cool and sticky running across his chest, over the wounds. There was a slight pressure on his right hand, and someone's voice was speaking quietly and comfortingly to him. A light tapping moved back and forth somewhere to his right; the sounds of impatient and nervous pacing. As the footsteps passed by wherever he lay, he caught a whiff of a clean flowery scent on the air.

He would recognize that anywhere.

Lena.

Something brushed lightly against his mind, a mental touch filled with love and a calming quality to it, and he reveled in the gesture; the way affection could be given without anyone else seeing it. He felt the touch withdraw, satisfied with his more calm state, and the pacing abruptly ended.

Chris noticed something else in the periphery of his senses. Beyond the voice with the words he could not quite make out he could hear a sort of hum, a deep thrumming that resonated through him. It took him a moment to place what it was, and then he remembered – the comforting hum of protection magic, the sound of clear crystal circles and a vast array of ancient blood magic that the Kalos family passed down. It was a warm feeling, reminiscent of lying safely ensconced in a mother's arms, and after the terror of his last few waking hours Chris reveled in it, allowing his muscles the luxury or relaxation and slipping back into comfortable oblivion.

* * *

_2022_

_Far away from where Lena dabbled in dark magic, the one-time Source by her side, Chris, Tyler, and Alec sought solace in the only part of the Kalos mansion left standing: the Vault. _

_"The athame, there had to be something about the athame," Chris said, pacing before Tyler who had his head in his hands; his shaggy brown hair standing up at odd angles. _

_"I talked to some Whitelighters, and they said it was probably cursed with evil, and Wyatt most likely had been trying to turn her."_

_"But why her and not me?"_

_"You can't pump evil into a whitelighter to turn them, Chris. The inherent goodness of your DNA would block it. He went the easy route with Lena, but he's going to have to try harder to get to you."_

_"So she's evil then?" Alec asked, realizing how at some point these two boys had surpassed him in magical knowledge; well the newer magical knowledge anyway._

_"Not necessarily. We'd have to have her here to know," Tyler sighed. "Oh, and more bad news, it looks like that coronation for the Source is going to be tonight."_

_"What?" Chris protested, everything was happening so fast. How could he become the Source?_

_"Well, full moon," Tyler pointed out._

_"Okay boys, let's get ready then. We need to stop this coronation and get Lena away from Wyatt. Unfortunately, none of us are powerful enough to do that just with the abilities God, or, in Tyler's case, the Elder's, gave us, so we're going to need a boost."_

_"And Wyatt will be very pissed that he did not destroy the Vault," Chris smirked, catching on._

_"That's right. You thought our magic shop was good, wait until you see what my family has been saving for themselves. That is, aside from the potions I've been brewing all this week."_

_He opened a box, digging around until he pulled out a very feminine, very girly, very red amulet. "This one was given to your Aunt Phoebe in her past life by a Warlock," Alec explained, clasping it around Chris' neck. Chris looked slightly appalled by the necklace, even as the stone glowed a bright red. Alec smiled and covered it with the collar of Chris' shirt. "It will protect you from Wyatt's, and, well… Lena's magic."_

_"But… this isn't an amulet, it's a necklace…" Chris sputtered._

_"I didn't have time to change the setting," Alec smirked._

_Next he fished out two bracelets formed of black and blue beads. He gave one to Chris and the other to Tyler. "These will deflect Darklighter arrows and protect you from the poison."_

_"Didn't I have one of these before?" Chris asked._

_"Yeah, I gave them to you and Wyatt when the Darklighters started stepping up their attacks. But the magic wears off after a few months of contact with whitelighters. I've been searching for more for a while, especially after…" he paused, and both of the whitelighters in the room knew he had been referring to the massive Darklighter attack on Chris' fourteenth birthday. "…I finally got these a week ago."_

_Tyler slid the bracelet onto his wrist, and nervously played with the amulet he always wore around his neck._

_Alec pulled out a blue crystal stone and tied it around his own neck, watching as it twinkled when it hit his skin. Then he handed Chris a deep blue crystal. "This will triple your powers, and triple your reaction time and senses." _

_He paused a moment before speaking again, "Obviously Wyatt must have the Grimoir. But only evil can touch that book…" Alec trailed off._

_"Lena?" Tyler said, filling in the empty space Alec's words left._

_"I really don't want another replay of what happened when she snatched the Book of Shadows," Chris said, recalling her panic-white face as Wyatt rounded on her, then the athame…_

_"Still, she's the only one among us who has a small chance of getting the Grimoir. But there's always a back-up plan," Alec added, tossing a bag to Chris. "You can use your TK to get the book in the sack, it's what your Aunt Paige did a long time ago. But hopefully we'll have more luck than they did."_

_Alec stayed silent for a moment as he went through the amulet case again. He withdrew a beaded necklace with a stone of purest pink hanging from it. He held it out to Chris. "This one is for Lena."_

_Chris took it slowly, realizing the gesture. "Uncle Alec, I won't—"_

_"Chris; Tyler and I both agree that the most important thing here is to get you and Lena out safely. If Wyatt becomes the Source, the two of you are the only people with enough power to stop him. I wouldn't even be bringing you with me if I thought I could keep you here," Alec added sadly. "I promised her I would protect you, and I plan on doing my best to. You and Lena both; you're all that's left of her. Wyatt's lost to us. I tried to believe he could be saved, but after this morning… I need you to realize that too, Chris, I know he's your brother, but you have to realize it too, he's gone."_

_"I… I don't know who he is anymore," Chris admitted, his eyes glued to the floor. "I don't want him to do this, but I don't know how to stop him without hurting him. And I don't know how I'm gonna face him."_

_Alec enveloped Chris in a warm hug, pulling his shaking form close. After a moment Chris had calmed and pulled away from his uncle, giving him a thankful nod. _

"_This is our only chance to get both of them out into the open at the same time. If we strike too soon, or too late, then they'll go back into hiding and we'll never find them. We can't waste it."_

_Alec walked over to a shelf, pulling out a small book. The cover read 'Phoebe Halliwell' in gold marker. Alec flipped it open to a certain page, sighing as he realized what he was about to do. But Chris had always been afraid of Wyatt, and not the kind of fear that makes someone cautious and careful, but a debilitating fear. Alec worried that he would never be able to get Chris out of there if Wyatt had fully turned._

_"Here Chris, cast this spell on yourself," he ordered, handing him the book. "And don't argue with me, just do it."_

_Chris looked skeptical, but did as his Uncle had requested, Tyler looking on curiously._

_"Locked in, boxed in, full of fear_

_My panic grows manic, 'till I can't hear_

_In need of reprieve, so I can breathe_

_Remove my fear please, make it leave"_

_An orange glow enveloped Chris, and Tyler and Alec waited with bated breath as Chris' entire demeanor changed. He stood up straight, a cocky grin on his face. "Okay, we've got a dark coronation to stop, people," he announced. "Let's get the potions together." Alec smiled and went to collect them, explaining what they were for as he did. He also tossed Tyler a bag of ice powder._

_"Now, you, my fine orbing friend need another boost," Chris decided, tossing some ideas around in his head. "Ooh, this is one of my favorites!" he announced, closing his eyes to recite the spell._

_"Blessed with powers from my destiny,_

_Bless this hero with invincibility."_

"_My Aunt Paige wrote that," he added with a smirk as a light appeared around Tyler, the spell taking form._

_"Last step, we need to glamour into demons," Alec instructed. Chris glamoured himself and then Tyler, turning them into non-remarkable looking darklighters so as to not attract too much attention. Alec morphed into a demon with a black hood over his face, and smiled at the boys. _

_"All right boys, all that's left are the cloaking spells, and then we can head out. Chris, you'll be doing the orbing, just concentrate on the greatest gathering of evil forces you can feel and that's where your brother will be."_

_

* * *

_

_"You ready?" Wyatt called through Lena's closed door, sensing his cousin racing around in the room. Using the telepathy he merely dabbled in, Wyatt heard her insistent thoughts 'shoes, shoes, shoes, which shoes?' Sighing, he pushed the door open and found her hopping up and down with one shoe on. She looked up at him, smiling nervously. She was wearing pair of black leather pants with a slinky black top on it. She was currently struggling with a pair of black ankle boots. _

_"Nice color selection," Wyatt commented, remembering their earlier conversation._

_"Well I thought it would be apt. They don't put 'dark' in the title of this thing for no reason. So, are you nervous?" she asked as she zipped the other shoe and watched her cousin intently. _

_"Why would I be nervous?" Wyatt laughed._

_"Because you're about to absorb all of the evil powers of the Underworld by saying an oath in some weird evil language and be bathed in evil and all that jazz, and become the evil overlord of the evil underworld," Lena explained._

_"How many times can you fit 'evil' into one description?" Wyatt frowned._

_"Well considering the topic we're discussing…" Lena said, the anger she had been suppressing ever since she had arrived at Wyatt's headquarters beginning to resurface._

_"You agreed to come with me, Lena. This was your choice!"_

_"Oh, and you did nothing to force my hand? Don't lie to me like that Wyatt, don't try and feed your ego anymore! You used the lives of my cousin and father as incentive to come with you, and here I am. Oh, but I almost forgot, before you made that deal with me, you stabbed me with a cursed athame! Wow, Wy, what a family we are, huh?"_

_A cruel slap hit her left cheek. She drew her hand to her reddened face, in shock. Wyatt's angry countenance glared daggers at her, his hand outstretched threateningly. "You will not speak to me that way, not ever. You don't have to like it, but you will show me proper respect, or I will **make you**. Do you understand me? As long as you stay here you will keep up appearances. I will allow you more leeway than anyone else in my organization because you are family, but you will not walk all over me, Lena. Do you understand me? Do you?!" Wyatt demanded._

_"Ye…yes…" Lena murmured, ashamed at the weak sound of her voice as she stared down a part of Wyatt she had never seen before. Cold, hard, icy blue eyes, and a stern expression. Any gentleness or caring had disappeared. "I… I'm sorry, Wy…"_

_"Now come. You are going to stand beside me at the coronation." Like a dog, Lena felt her body instantly following his request, walking out into the hall with him, his hand resting on her lower back. For one of the first time she could remember, Lena truly felt afraid._

_

* * *

_

_When Alec, Chris, and Tyler black orbed outside of the chamber where the coronation would be held, they saw it was almost completely full of demons. Pushing through the crowds and attempting to remain unnoticeable, they stared in wonder at their surroundings. Flames erupted from a half stone wall, wooden bars protruding from it to the ceiling. The tongues of flame and the candles scattered about brought light to the otherwise dark cavern. In the center of an intricate pattern on the floor, a dark priest stood before a podium made of stacked skulls. On the podium lay the Source's Grimoir, awaiting Wyatt's entrance. The demons seemed positively excited, they were barely able to contain themselves as they stood there, about to be put under the thumb of the new ruler._

_The dark priest began a chant in an evil language. The demon guards picked up the line, and the audience jumped in. Their voices boomed and evil swirled in the air._

_A moment later, a single file line of people began to enter the chamber, obviously Wyatt's closest supporters. A woman dressed in a black leather outfit with dark brown hair came out last, and the demons had already begun to cheer. They did not need to wait long as two people, walking side-by-side stepped into the room. _

_The trio of good beings felt anxiety rise in their chests as they watched Wyatt in the Source's robes, and Lena, clad in black, entering together, and upon further scrutiny, they could tell that the pair were holding hands as well. _

_Lena was frightened, and with good reason. There she was; surrounded by upper-level demons who could kill her as soon as look at her. And no one would be coming to help her, no dad, no Chris, no Tyler; she could not see them again. She felt the warmth in Wyatt's hand and tried to remind herself that nothing could happen to her here, not while she stayed by his side. She supposed this was what he meant when he said power was the only thing that mattered._

_She stayed to the side as Wyatt approached the podium that held the Grimoir, ready to say the oath. She felt rather than heard some rumblings in the back of the room. Three men stood there, watching her with piercing eyes. Lena's heart jumped into her throat as her superior senses saw through their cloaking spell. What were they doing here? She wanted to telepath them, but feared it might be intercepted and screw up whatever they were planning. If they started a fight, what would she do? She had to stay with Wyatt if she were going to protect them, but…_

_'Just stay calm,' Cole's voice whispered in her mind. 'You'll know what to do.'_

_Alec, Chris, and Tyler made to break through the crowd, to get to Wyatt, but the crowd pushed them back. The demons were ecstatic, and even as the trio of men tried to get through to stop the coronation, they saw Wyatt taking the oath, his hand on the Grimoir. As dark power spun in the air, connecting with Wyatt and coursing through his body, the demons cheered, and Lena was thrown backward. Wyatt's arms were raised as he accepted the powers of the Underworld, ecstasy etched over his features. He began to levitate just above the ground, shafts of blue light encasing him. The demons were screaming, clapping, and Lena got to her feet, completely horrified._

_"Go!" Alec cried. _

_Just as the dark power thoroughly infused Wyatt, Chris glamoured back into himself and leapt over the demons before him, charging at his brother and cousin. Tyler went for the demons in the front row, and Alec attacked those on the right._

_With Chris fearless, Tyler invincible, and Alec super-powered, they might actually stand a chance._

_Wyatt's cronies rushed at Chris, but he simply waved his hands at them, sending a whole crowd flying into the opposite wall, their bones crushing upon impact. "Heh, I like this whole tripled-power thing," Chris whispered to himself as he knocked more demons out of his path. "Lena!" Chris called as Wyatt began to come out of his power-induced euphoria. She made a move to approach him, but suddenly someone was behind her. Bianca, the Phoenix assassin held an athame to Lena's neck, her other arm snaked around the girl's arms to keep them pinned._

_"One move and she dies," Bianca threatened._

_"As if!" Lena countered, elbowing Bianca in the stomach and then flipping her over her head. "What am I, a pretty little princess or something?" Lena demanded, offended by Bianca's low judgment of her abilities. This did not deter the Phoenix, who leapt to her feet to attack once more._

_"Bianca," Wyatt's deadly cold voice said. "Why are you attacking my loyal cousin? Your efforts would be better used against the intruders."_

_"But sir, she—" One look from Wyatt and she stopped speaking abruptly. Bored, Chris shot a telekinetic wave at Wyatt. Without even looking up, Wyatt countered the attack. Chris sent another blast, and leaped in for follow-through. The force pushed Wyatt backwards, stumbling into the wall. A moment later, Chris' fist connected with Wyatt's face._

_Lena stood on the sidelines, torn. Finally, a demon made her decision for her. Considering her a threat as she was not even part of the organization until that day, he shot a fireball at her. Using her Kalos control of the elements, Lena caught the fireball in her outstretched hand, and then shot it back at him. As he made to dodge, the athame appeared in Lena's grasp, and she jumped forward. Throwing two waves of fire before her, they connected with the demon, weakening him. Realizing her moment, she stabbed him with the athame. His powers absorbed into the athame, then transferred to her, leaving her opponent a worthless pile of ash. _

_A full out war had begun in the chamber as Alec and Tyler fought with the demons. The demons themselves were quickly losing patience. Tyler had been orbing around kicking demons, tossing potions at them, and stabbing them with athames. Alec on the other hand used the superpowers granted by the crystal amulet to punch straight through demons, and maximize his elemental magic. The room had soon filled with smoke. Darklighter arrows bounced right off of Tyler, and did not even touch Alec. _

_Meanwhile, Chris and Wyatt were fighting each other in the back corner, Wyatt seeing a new side of his little brother. "What's gotten into you?" Wyatt asked as Chris barreled into him again, using TK to strengthen his attack._

_"Just feeling a little less burdened, Wyatt," Chris smirked, holding his hands out. He flicked his wrists, using a power he had suppressed to try and blow Wyatt up. All it did were open some nasty wounds on Wyatt's chest as Chris used it again and again and again. _

_"You idiot, you cast a spell on yourself," Wyatt realized, as the wounds instantly healed. He powered up an energy ball and threw it at Chris. Chris just flicked his hands, blowing it up and scattering bolts of destruction throughout the chamber. _

_"You're the idiot. Becoming the Source? Come on Wy, we all have fantasies about ruling something but this is just ridiculous."_

_Wyatt, souring at Chris' words, blinked, a wall of flame erupting around Chris. His brother stood there a moment, encompassed in fire and looking very bored, before he TKed the flames at one of Wyatt's demon cronies who had been attempting to sneak up on him. Tiring of this game, Wyatt made a fist, using a power called strangulation to cut off his brother's air supply. Chris grasped at his throat, but he was smiling; and breathing. _

_It had not worked. _

_A slight glow from beneath his shirt told Wyatt why._

_"Bianca!" Wyatt called, erecting his forcefield. Fearless or not, Chris stood shocked for a moment. How had Wyatt acquired evil powers while keeping his good powers? It boggled the mind. The assassin appeared at Wyatt's side, having been fighting with Tyler a moment before. Wyatt whispered something in her ear and she smiled perversely. Still within the forcefield, Wyatt flamed out, leaving his employee to deal with his little brother._

_Wyatt flamed in directly behind Lena, who was currently engaging a demon in some kick-boxing. He powered up a low level energy ball – just enough to knock her out so he could send her back to headquarters – and threw it at her back. Tyler chose that moment to look up, screaming out her name as the projectile sped towards her. Lena spun, and now the energy ball was about to collide with her heart. As it hit her skin, it disappeared in a flash of red, coinciding with the glow of Tyler's amulet as the energy ball reappeared in front of him. It would have hit him if not for the invincibility spell, but it just bounced right off of him. Lena looked from Tyler to Wyatt. "You broke your promise," she spat._

_"You are not leaving," Wyatt said icily, grabbing Lena's arms with his hands. Lena made to pull away from him, but his grip held fast, his fingers digging into her skin. A second later, Lena's hands phased out of Wyatt's hold and she took a step back, marveling at the powers she had acquired with the athame. "What the hell?" Wyatt questioned, powering up another energy ball to hit her with. Seeing her opening, Lena stabbed Wyatt with the athame._

_"A stab for a stab," she grated angrily. However, rather than watch as Wyatt's infinite power seeped into the blade, it acted like a regular old knife. She pulled it out and saw Wyatt's skin knit itself back together. "Dammit," she muttered, shimmering away from him and into the fray of demon fighting._

_"Hey there beautiful, what say we stop all this fighting and make some love?" Chris suggested as he dodged a kick from Bianca. The phoenix witch growled angrily, making swipes for his neck. Clearly Wyatt had ordered that the amulet be removed. Chris was not about to let that happen. As he flipped over Bianca using levitation (a power he did not know he had, it was kind of weird) he felt a jangle in his pocket and remembered the amulet he was supposed to give to Lena. He saw her somewhere in the crowd, water flowing from her hands. _

_"Lena!" he shouted. "PHILENA!" He punched Bianca in the face and then TKed her athame into her leg. Bianca fell, reaching for the weapon, and Chris sprinted into a tiny alcove. Going invisible (he could do that?), he astral projected himself next to his cousin._

_"Here, this is for you," he said, handing over the pink necklace. Lena just looked at him before donning the piece of magical jewelry. As Chris' astral form disappeared, she felt the quiver of power moving inside of her. Immediately recognizing the power within the amulet, Lena put her hands to her head and sent a shockwave of empathy that had all of the demons and evil witches falling to the ground in tears. _

_As they collapsed, Tyler, Alec, Lena, Chris, and Wyatt found themselves to be the only ones left unaffected. Holding open the bag, Chris subtly TK'ed the Grimoir into it. Without giving the new Source time to react, Chris orbed Lena, and Tyler grabbed onto Alec, the four disappearing in sparkling white and blue lights as Wyatt screamed in anger._

_

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_

**A/N: I would love to know what you thought.**

**_-Ada_**


	9. Battleground San Francisco

**A/N: Battle time! Woot!**

**Disclaimer: Please refer to previous chapter.**

* * *

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 9: Battleground San Francisco

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_Where are the saviors  
Afraid of the toll  
Sorry do my nine inch nails  
Slash your soul?  
Such heroes  
Throwing stones  
Straight at the one  
Who is standing alone?  
Twisting and turning  
It's always the same  
The truth is never honest  
When you're to blame  
Pushing and pulling  
Never give in  
One day I wish  
You see you're not so beautiful within_

"Overcome" Within Temptation

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2027

* * *

They sat in silence for a while, until Lena broke it in a bored-Phoebe way. "So, you might be here a while… want to know anything about… you know… 2027?"

"OH! Yes! Chris would barely tell us anything because of—" Phoebe nearly leapt out of her seat in excitement.

"Future consequences," every woman in the room said simultaneously.

"He used that with you too?" Phoebe asked Lena incredulously.

"No… for me and Chris, that particular mantra came from a certain source," she swung her head around and stared at Phoebe pointedly.

"Me? What? No way!"

"So we have you to blame for that annoying phrase!" Paige accused.

"Yeah, something about how you almost got trapped in the past because you left your mother a warning note in the Book of Shadows started it, I believe," Lena explained. "Anyway, I'm not you or Chris, so go ahead, ask away!"

"What's my husband like?!" Phoebe asked immediately.

"Oh, daddy. He's well— hey now, wait one minute there lady, I may not be Chris, but I know I can't answer that question. What if I screw things up somehow and then you don't meet him or you meet him too soon, and then I end up a boy and one year older? I'm not taking that chance."

"Are we all dead?" Piper questioned. "Chris told me I was dead in his future, but they are too?"

"Uh… yeah," Lena answered, her throat suddenly constricted. "Aunt Paige and her girls died first, then the next year it was Aunt Piper, and the year after that, my mom."

"By the same demon?" Piper asked.

"No, all different… or so I think."

"Girls? I had girls?" Paige whispered; her eyes suddenly watery.

"Yeah, Prudence 'Prue,' and Penelope 'Nel.' ….I probably shouldn't have told you that, but too late now. They were the youngest, and twins. Everyone in the family doted on them, those two were spoiled rotten," she smiled through teary eyes. "Then one day, they and Aunt Paige disappeared. Mom and Aunt Piper said that they sensed Aunt Paige had died, but we couldn't find the bodies. Once Wyatt, Chris, and I became the Charmed Ones, we finally tracked down the demon who did it. Turns out that demon preserves the bodies of his victims and… puts them on display…" her voice broke and she stopped talking, closing her eyes and swallowing. "We vanquished the demon, and then buried the bodies in the empty graves."

"What about my husband? Was I married?" Paige asked almost reluctantly. The answer to her last question had not really been something she wanted to hear.

"Yeah you were. After Aunt Paige died though – he… he just couldn't take it, he left and we never saw him again. Nobody blamed him, it was an awful thing to happen. We tried to find him after we buried them, but he was just gone."

"Where's Leo these days?" Piper wondered aloud.

"I don't really know. Him and me, we're not exactly best buddies. He's had a tough time with everything that's happened, but in a really unlike-Uncle Leo move he decided to just go into denial. Even after Wyatt killed all of the Elders, he just refused to see it. He actually sees me and Chris as more of a threat than his precious oldest boy. But don't worry, I'm not bitter about it, not at all," she added sarcastically. That line actually got a laugh out of the three of them.

* * *

_2022

* * *

_

_Seeking refuge in the Underworld, the quartet of magical people had been able to orb the Vault down with them, but remained in constant fear of Wyatt discovering their presence. After the coronation, Chris and Lena had a frank discussion regarding why she joined him in the first place, and Chris felt a jolt when he realized all she was willing to sacrifice to keep him safe. Lena neglected to tell Chris about either Cole or her magical athame. _

_She did not tell him about her premonition of the future that she received two days after the coronation. A vision in which Chris and Lena stood strong together against Wyatt's empire; a future in which Wyatt was going to kill Chris and her so they could not use their combined powers against him. She would not let that premonition come to be. The only hope for the world rested on their shoulders, and at the present time she did not see how they could stop Wyatt. Cole agreed with her, and as weird as it was, she felt good to know that she would not be alone in what she was to do. _

_Chris still believed that Wyatt could be reasoned with, but, since Alec had reversed the fearless spell he was afraid of coming to blows with his brother. Lena told him that he was in denial, and Wyatt could not be reformed, but he had to hold on to the hope that his brother still existed in him somewhere. _

_Despite the differences in their ideas, they were both wholly unprepared for what would happen next._

_As they hid from Wyatt's envoys, Tyler made frequent trips to the city, where Wyatt had begun to amass powerful demons and witches. A small band of magical creatures had joined together against Wyatt, and Tyler befriended them, promising that he knew three immensely strong witches who would join them. _

_However, on November 16th 2022, Chris' eighteenth birthday, San Francisco changed forever._

_Tyler arrived in the little sanctuary in the Underworld, fear written all over his face. "What's happened?" Lena demanded, running to him. He put his arms around her, holding her close as the images of the bloodshed above them ran through his mind. She picked up on the top of his thoughts, gasping. "Chris!" she screamed. _

_

* * *

_

_Flames rose above the once-bustling metropolis of San Francisco. Screams penetrated the night as mortals ran in terror, death striking them from above. Demons roamed the city, killing anyone they pleased and destroying everything they passed. Mounds of corpses and rubble littered the scenery. And the Golden Gate Bridge smoldered in the distance._

_It was everyone's vision of the end of the world. _

_"Oh my God," Chris said, his eyes darting around at the crumbling world around him. "Where do we even begin?"_

_"Should we split up?" Lena questioned._

_"No, we're going to need to stay together. Look at all of those demons…" Chris' voice trailed off as they saw something they would never forget. Scattered around, demons and some mortals were burning witches at the stake. Smiling, they acted as if it were all some sort of game. It sickened the four watching, and so with a nod to each other they sprang into action. _

_Alec doused the burning witches with water as Chris and Lena sprang into action. Ordinarily Alec would have insisted that he take the more dangerous role, but Lena's new active powers made it far more reasonable for her to do it. _

_Energy balls and flames sliced through the air as demons flocked to the place where the two Halliwells fought. Tyler orbed the injured witches to safety while Alec assisted Lena and Chris. By no surprise, the trio seemed to have the upper hand at first. _

_Utilizing both their magical abilities and kickboxing learned at the merciless hands of Phoebe, Chris and Lena remained on top of the growing number of demons. Cole gave Lena pointers as she fought, and Chris worked out his anger issues on the unlucky evil beings that chose him as their target. The pair fell into fighting step with each other easily, so used to it from their unusual childhood, and then their time as two of the three Charmed Ones. It still felt empty without Wyatt, but they were doing the best they could. _

_Tyler orbed in, a fresh set of vanquishing potions in his hands. _

_A demon grabbed Chris from behind, preparing an athame to stab him with. Alec saw out of the corner of his eye, blasting the offending demon with water. Chris TKed the athame into his chest and vanquished him._

_A Libris demon, tall and thin with a large sickle ran by, chasing a group of terrorized civilians. The Libris demons acted like the Cleaners of the Underworld, trying to protect evil magic from exposure, so they were going crazy trying to kill anyone who had seen the massive attack in San Francisco. Lena kicked him in the back. He spun, sickle in hand, and sliced at her, but the weapon phased right through her, surprising the demon. She vanquished him with a wall of fire. _

_

* * *

_

_Several injuries later, Chris, Lena, Tyler, and Alec found themselves away from the city, as if the demon attacks had been driving them away. The demons chasing them vanquished, the quartet looked around anxiously, wondering if they were being set up for a trap. _

_Alec put a hand nervously on Lena's shoulder, sending the young woman a look that clearly meant for her to run if things got bad. _

_The screams emanating from the city still reached them in the grassy clearing. However, someone else's voice caught their attention. "There they are! The other Halliwells!"_

_As they spun to face the voice, a wave of energy threw them backwards, scattering them in opposite directions. Two Elders who had apparently survived the massacre Wyatt delivered and three witches stood before them angrily. _

_"She was at the coronation!" a thirty-something female witch accused, her shaking hand pointing at Lena. Chris appeared beside Lena, dragging her to her feet and staring at the people who had effectively surrounded the pair, wondering what they wanted._

_"We're not working with Wyatt if that's what you—" Lena began, silenced as the woman's eyes glowed, sending a beam of light at her. It sliced through her shoulder, blood spattering Chris who had pushed her mostly out of the way._

_The first shot fired, the witches and whitelighter went in for the attack. The two Elders stood on the outside as the witches fired attacks back and forth, attacking and dodging. _

_As Tyler orbed around one of the witches, distracting her while Alec alternated between fire and water attacks, the witch caught sight of his amulet. Ignoring the sudden burning on her shoulder when she stopped concentrating on her force-field-like energy wall, she grabbed it angrily, snatching it from his neck. "This does not belong to you!" she screamed, throwing it to the ground as Alec's power sent her flying. _

_At the same time, the witch Lena had been attacking suddenly abandoned her, going for Chris instead. Just about done with his adversary, Chris knocked over his new opponent, ramming her back into a tree._

_Lena stood out in the open, wondering why no one was attacking her. And then she knew why. The two Elders aimed their hands at her, and bolts of lightning shot out, wrapping around her. She screamed in agony as her body lifted off of the ground. Chris ran over to help her, but the energy of the attack sent him reeling, landing face first in the grass. Alec and Tyler's opponent erected a force-field around the Elders, smirking as they worked on killing Lena. _

_"You Halliwells were always given too much lee-way," one of the Elders growled. "And your family always sticks together."_

_Alec spotted Tyler's amulet lying on the ground and dove for it. Though Tyler had not previously known its use, Alec immediately recognized it. The amulet would protect those the wearer loved, transmitting any attack aimed at them to the wearer if they willed it to. And now it was Alec's only hope to save his daughter. As soon as he put the amulet around his neck, Lena's body dropped with a sickening thud, and the lightning surrounded him instead. Perturbed, the Elders nonetheless continued their attack, their goal was to kill all four of those before them, who they assumed were working for Wyatt._

_Tyler kneeled beside Lena, healing her injuries while Chris tried in vain to save Alec from the Elders. "We're not helping Wyatt! We're not! We're trying to protect the innocents, and save the city! Why can't you see that?!" Chris demanded of them._

_"Even if that is true, you will eventually lend your powers to your brother and then all will truly be lost."_

_"Please, he has nothing to do with this! Leave him alone!" Chris pleaded, ignoring their earlier comment. _

_Lena's eyes shot open and she pushed Tyler away from her just in time to see her father mouth 'I love you' at her before his eyes rolled back in his head. The lightning ceased, and her father's body crumpled to the ground, surrounded by smoke. Screeching, Lena stumbled to his side, checking for any signs of life. When she found none, she cried, and pulled him into a hug, telling him she loved him and she was sorry. _

_Then she turned her eyes on the attackers; eyes that had suddenly gone very cold. Without a second's hesitation, she shot a lance of fire at the witch with the laser beams, killing her instantly. She turned her rage next on the other witches, throwing athames and energy balls at their stunned forms. _

_Chris came up behind her, attempting to restrain her from her sudden killing spree, but she phased out of his arms, racing at the pair of Elders. She shimmered at the midway point, appearing behind the Elder who murdered her father. She put her hands on either side of his head, watching as they glowed with intense green energy. Using the power of electro-mental ignitions that her mother had used to murder someone in an alternate future, she established a mind link through her hands, and then used her new power to electrify his mind. Her empathy kicking in, she felt his pain and horror, and she felt nothing but pleasure from it. The other Elder attacked with lightning, but she barely felt it as she wasted his companion, watching with satisfaction as he collapsed and his body faded away. Chris and Tyler were screaming for her to stop but she did not listen. She could not hear anything besides the pounding of her own heart, or get past the rage that burned inside her chest._

_Turning, the lightning still feeding into her body, her athame appeared in her hand, and she marched at the Elder, stabbing him with it and allowing his powers to flow into her. Just as he was about to die, she pulled the weapon out, and then used the Elder's own power to incinerate him._

_"I thought you should know how this feels, bastard!" she screamed. However, he somehow managed to send a message to the other living Elders, warning them about her just as he died._

_Staring at the carnage around her, she felt less than satisfied. She saw her father lying dead, and knew she could never bring him back. He was gone, just like her mother, and Aunt Paige, and Aunt Piper. _

_All gone. _

_She screamed at the sky, and as she did the earth rumbled beneath her feet. She watched as the ground split, much too close to her father's corpse. Not wanting to do anything to hurt him further – as irrational as that was – until she could get her emotions under control, Lena shimmered away._

_"Lena!" Tyler cried, staring at the empty space where she had stood. "Lena, come back!" He turned to gain some support from Chris, but found the young man bending over Alec's body, confusion and grief written over his features._

_"How did this happen?" he demanded. "One minute they were attacking Lena, and then next…"_

_"It must've been the amulet. I wasn't sure what this did, but I think it's the amulet that transfers attacks on loved ones to the wearer. He grabbed it when they went for her."_

_"But why would the Elders do this? Why? Because we're Halliwells? Is that what it all comes down to, blood? Guilt by association!? Does no one care that we were actually trying to help these people?! DAMMIT!" Tyler let Chris rant, knowing that he really was not speaking to him. Tyler had no idea what to do now. In the distance, dark storm clouds gathered, rain pouring down as Lena's grief intensified. _

_"Chris… I hate to interrupt, but we need to do something about Lena, now," Tyler finally said._

_Chris turned to respond when he heard a sickening laugh reach his ears, and looked up to see Wyatt levitating and staring down on them. He smiled at Chris and then flamed out. _

_

* * *

_

_Lena stood on one of the support beams of the Golden Gate Bridge, watching as the others sprouted flames from the demonic attacks. Trapped below, mortals either clung in terror to each other within their cars, or stood off to the side, watching with awe and horror. _

_"All for you!" Lena screamed down at the mortals. "They sacrificed so much of themselves for you! And none of you appreciate it!" Carried on the winds, her voice reached those down below, and they turned to stare at the teenage girl in jeans a tank top who yelled with such anger and despair. "Always to protect the innocents! And what did it get any of us?! Betrayal?! DEATH?! I AM FINISHED!! I AM DONE!! You took my mother and my father! My Aunts and my cousins! And I will not help you anymore! YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!" The bridge shook and the water in the once glassy bay began to churn. I HAVE HAD IT! I AM DONE!!!" _

_Lena let out an agonizing scream as her pain reached its peak. Lightning struck the bridge, taking out the one of the center supports and sending the suspensions crashing down. Half of the bridge collapsed, sending metal, cars, and mortals into the choppy waters below._

_Three sets of eyes watched as Lena crumbled to her knees, hugging her arms around herself and crying. Chris and Tyler stood helplessly on the non-destroyed part of the bridge as Lena gave way to despair. A moment later, flames appeared behind her, turning into Wyatt._

_"Lena," Wyatt whispered, kneeling beside her and pulling her into an embrace._

_"Wyatt!" Lena cried, forgetting that he was the Source of All Evil; only remembering that he was her cousin, and that she loved him. "Wyatt, they killed him!" she exclaimed between sobs. "Elders! Elders!" she repeated unable to comprehend what had happened. _

_"Where are they now?" Wyatt asked, gritting his teeth._

_"Dead… Their souls are being recycled, courtesy of me," Lena said, revenge putting venom in her words. Wyatt smiled with pride. A moment later she had begun to cry again._

_"I'll see to it that he has a proper funeral. But now, I just want to take you home. Okay?" Wyatt questioned tenderly. She nodded, burying her head in his shoulder as he flamed them to the Underworld.

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_

**A/N: Oh Lena, bad move honey. Poor Alec...**

**Please leave me a review. And if you like Lena then check out my new oneshot titled "To Live".**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Ada**


	10. Fathers and Sons

**A/N: I'm back with another update! Thank you for your comments on the last chapter, and thank you to everyone out there who's reading, even if you are just lurking without reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter.**

**Enjoy!

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**

Bound By Blood

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 10: Fathers and Sons

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_It's so easy to destroy and condemn  
The ones you do not understand  
Do you ever wonder if it's justified  
In your life why didn't you ever try  
I close my eyes as I walk the thin line between love and hate  
For the person with the same blood in his veins  
You show no regrets  
About all the things you did or said  
I have failed you  
But believe me you failed me too_

"Destroyed" Within Temptation

* * *

_Chris and Tyler sat in the back room of P3, heads in their hands. "We're two witches down," Tyler sighed. "And as much as I'd like to believe in myself, I'm not really much help," he added, casting a glance at Chris. _

_"I just can't believe they killed him. No wonder Lena freaked out. I mean I love Uncle Alec too, but he's her **father**, and they just…"_

_"What are we going to do, Chris? The demons are still out there, the city is overrun with them. And Wyatt…" he stopped, looking at Chris again, trying to gauge if his feelings towards his brother had changed. Alec's brutal murder had certainly given more stock to Wyatt's 'the world fears our great powers' argument._

_"Stopping him is still my priority," Chris decided. "This doesn't change anything. Of course they would think we were helping him. Why the hell would they think the kids of the great and mighty charmed ones would turn their backs on each other? I can barely understand it myself sometimes, and it's my life."_

_Tyler opened his mouth to say something compassionate, but stopped abruptly when neon orb lights appeared beside him. The lights slowly manifested into Leo Wyatt. "Chris," Leo said, his voice somber._

_"What the hell do you want?" Chris demanded without looking at him, idly wiping some blood off his face. Tyler had already healed his injuries. _

_"Where's Lena?" Leo demanded, his voice cold and angry._

_"What do you want with her?" Chris questioned, his curiosity piqued. He stood to face his father. _

_"She killed an Elder today – no, two Elders. And three witches. And then she took out half of the Golden Gate Bridge!"_

_"So?" Chris said apathetically, these revelations meaning nothing to him, he was there after all._

_"Innocent people were killed today."_

_"Yeah, don't I know it," Chris sighed, remembering the burning witches and the screaming civilians. He felt bad for the people Lena had inadvertently killed, but he did not blame her, no, he blamed those Elders and Wyatt. "So what are you planning to do? Kill her? Is that what the pacifist Elders do now? Kill witches?" He continued without giving Leo a chance to reply, he was really on a roll now. "Because that's sure as hell what it looked like to me! Yeah, Lena killed the Elders, but you know why? Because they tried to kill her, and then murdered Uncle Alec! And here you are, on your moral high ground about to tell me that two wrongs don't make a right. Well if that is what you're going to say, then save it for your precious first born, because he's the one who needs a lesson in good and evil, not me!"_

_"Where is she?" Leo hissed angrily, trying to ignore Chris' outburst._

_"She's with Wyatt," Chris replied, seething. If only he had snapped out of his own grieving long enough to get her back to the hide-out, instead Wyatt was probably rewarding her for her kills right now; using her father's death to his advantage, and twisting everything around and making the dark side seem like the right side… _

_"With Wyatt? Why?"_

_"Alliteration, much? He took her back to his Headquarters I would assume," he snorted the word. "Seeing as how he's closed up the Manor and destroyed the vineyard, he couldn't exactly take her back home."_

_"What do you mean closed up the Manor?" Leo asked._

_"So you really haven't noticed that he kicked us out? Yeah, right before he killed the Elders. We moved into Uncle Alec's place, but Wyatt destroyed it. Then he became the Source, and we've been hiding out in the Underworld for weeks."_

_"Wyatt did not become the Source!"_

_"Yes he did!" Tyler shouted, making his presence known for the first time. "I don't know what it'll take for you to believe Chris, but trust me, I was there, I saw it!" Tyler's anger and desperation showed in his voice. Elders were some of the most powerful beings in the magical world, and now their numbers had dwindled considerably, they needed all of the help they could get._

_"Chris, your brother is good," Leo said, ignoring Tyler._

_"You are a moron if you still believe him! He is not good! The attacks on the city today – he ordered them!" Chris formed his hands into fists, shaking his arms as he restrained himself from hitting Leo. As his sleeve slid up his arm with the movement, Leo caught sight of the darklighter-repelling bracelet he still wore. Leo's hand darted out, grabbing Chris' wrist to see it better._

_"Where did you get this?" he demanded coldly. His eyes snapped to Tyler's wrist, the young whitelighter sporting the same thing. "Did Alec give these to you two?" he asked, trying to pull it off of Chris' wrists. Chris knocked him backwards with a bit of TK, taking a few steps away from his father, his expression filled with disgust._

_"Yes he did, and they pretty much saved our lives during that coronation," Chris spat._

_"These are made with dark magic!" Leo exclaimed. Then he spotted the red amulet Chris wore to counteract any attack from Wyatt. "And that! A Warlock gave that to Phoebe, it's not good magic!"_

_"Hey, magic is magic, right? Isn't that what your golden-boy Wyatt would say?" Chris countered. _

_"You are wrong about your brother, Chris. Alec has been filling your head with lies!"_

_"What am I, two? I think I'm quite capable of making my own decisions, and coming to my own conclusions. And I know Wyatt better than anyone; I know what he has become! And don't you dare say anything bad about Uncle Alec, he's been more of a father to me than you ever have!"_

_Before he even realized what he did, Leo had struck Chris across the face. "I am your father, and Wyatt is your brother, that's where your loyalty should be. Not to that—that—liar Alec Kalos!"_

_"He's DEAD! Because of Wyatt he's dead!" Chris screamed, tears filling his eyes as he barreled into Leo and throwing him to the ground. Tyler intervened, putting his hand on Chris' shoulders and pulling him away from his father. "How do you explain the Elders being killed 'up there'?! Tell me!"_

_"Deflecting the blame from yourself won't get you anywhere," Leo said, staring at his youngest son as if he were a stranger, no better than some common demon._

_"Deflect—what?—what--?! You think I'M the evil one?" Chris sputtered in complete shock. The events of the past month had left him reeling, and now this… "I guess it's obvious who your favorite has always been."_

_"Chris, we can talk about this. I know Alec had something to do with it, just talk to me, please," Leo softened. "I hate to see what he's done to you and Lena while I haven't been around."_

_"He's done nothing except care for us, teach us, and protect us from Wyatt," Chris responded, suddenly calm. "And you and your little friends will leave us alone. I'm going to get Lena back from Wyatt, and then we will be burying her father in peace." _

_"You're a sorry excuse for an Elder, if you can't even see what's right in front of your face," Tyler spat. A moment later, Chris and Tyler had orbed out, leaving Leo alone in the club._

_

* * *

_

_When they appeared in their Underworld hideout it was clear that its secrecy had been breached._

_"Hello Chris, did you like your birthday present?" Wyatt asked as his brother's orbs formed into Chris. He stood before him, dressed in black, his hands behind his back as if he did not have a care in the world. Chris could immediately feel a change in the energy around him; Wyatt had taken back the Grimoir._

_"You bastard!" Chris cried, leaping forward. Simultaneously, Tyler grabbed the collar of Chris' shirt and Wyatt powered up a fireball, holding it out tauntingly. _

_"Just give me a reason, Chris. Give me one reason and I'll do it," Wyatt whispered menacingly. Chris forced himself to calm down, crossing his arms and training his eyes on Wyatt._

_"What do you want?" he asked coldly._

_"To bring you home with me," Wyatt responded. "I'm sure you realize after poor dear Uncle Alec's passing that you can't go back up there, it isn't safe for you. You need to come back to your family, Chris. Stop running, stop fighting, it isn't natural for Halliwells to be against each other. _

_"And it isn't natural for them to become the Source of All Evil either, but I guess there's a first time for everything," Chris shot back._

_"Lena's back at home, she's so upset Chris, and you know that I'm just no good at… compassion… she really needs you to be there for her."_

_"She would be with me if you hadn't taken her from the bridge. And I know what you're trying to do. It won't work. My **home** was the Manor, but it's not what it used to be. I can't be there anymore."_

_"Why do you feel the oh-so-desperate need to rebel against me? You're eighteen now Chris, old enough to choose your own destiny, and I know that you know which path will make you happiest."_

_"You know what would have made me happy, Wyatt? A brother who wasn't a megalomaniac power-hungry bastard! I don't know where you learned your values, but it certainly wasn't at the knees of our mother and aunts!"_

_"From whence they came return them now,_

_Vanish the words, vanish my brother's powers," Wyatt's voice boomed as he cast the spell. _

_Bright white light glowed from within Chris, and for one terrorizing moment he thought the spell to remove his powers had worked, but the light quickly died, leaving Wyatt looking quite disappointed._

_"You may be the Source, but we're connected brother," Chris spat, holding up his wrist and revealing the triquetra printed there. "You can't just take my powers because you feel like it. You're not the most powerful force in the world, we are, together, you me and Lena. But we'll never be united, because you cannot see that what you are doing is wrong! And evil!" he added after a moment's consideration. Without giving Wyatt a chance to rebuke what he had said, Chris grabbed Tyler and orbed out._

_"It'll only be a matter of time, Chris," Wyatt sighed, alone in the cavern. "I really wanted to do this the easy way… for your sake."_

_

* * *

_

_Three days later, Lena lay curled up in a ball on her bed in Wyatt's headquarters. Even with the high number of deaths in the city that day, Wyatt had managed to arrange a funeral for her father. She had dressed in all black – which was not a feat considering her closet was bursting with black clothes – but had made it as far as the bed before collapsing into sobs again. She pulled herself together finally, fixing her make-up and walking out into the hallway._

_She had reached Wyatt's 'office' when she heard voices inside. Curious, she decided to eavesdrop._

_

* * *

_

_Leo and Wyatt, father and son, engaged in a close conversation regarding what Leo had coined as the 'Chris situation.' "I'm worried about you, Wyatt," Leo sighed. _

_"Trust me, Dad, I'll be fine," Wyatt reassured his father. _

_"But what you three did – becoming the Charmed Ones – it forged a connection that cannot be broken. It puts you at risk."_

_"I was the one who came up with the idea," Wyatt said with a flash of a smirk. "I thought it would bring us closer together, I guess I was wrong," he said wistfully, playing his father for all he was worth. "I could feel Chris slipping further from me, and Lena was so young at the time, I thought any sort of connection would be good, you know, positive and helpful. But I guess it backfired on me."_

_"Now Chris and Lena are together, utilizing evil, organizing the Underworld, attacking San Francisco," Leo shook his head, horrified by the damage he assumed had been wrought by his younger son and Phoebe's daughter. "I blame Alec for this, he put these ideas in their heads."_

_"I know Dad. I wish I could have gotten them away from him, but they fought me when I tried. It was a lost cause. However, I convinced Lena to come here with me, and I think I can get her on the right track again. She's still emotionally fragile and developing as a witch and a person. She's begun to look up to me instead of Chris, and I hope that will help her."_

_"I still don't want her around you, Wyatt. She's dangerous; she's a threat. And I know how you always try to see the good in people, and she is your family, but still… I don't want anything bad to happen to you, son." Leo put his hand to Wyatt's face feeling the goatee just beginning to grow in; his hair hanging in longish curls around his face. "God, I wish your mom could see you now – all grown up and fighting the good fight."_

_"You don't have to worry about me, Dad. Nothing's going to happen to me," Wyatt sighed. "I have a plan to get Chris back over to our side as well, but I'm going to need your help."_

_"Anything, Wyatt."_

_

* * *

_

_On the other side of the door, Lena held a hand over her mouth as she gasped. She glanced at her watch, it was almost time for the funeral. Not wanting to be caught spying, Lena ran back down the hallway to her bedroom, her dress swishing in the air behind her._

_

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_

_Lena leaned heavily on Wyatt's shoulder throughout the ceremony. It was well attended, with Alec's mortal friends in attendance, as well as several of the stronger members of his coven, the ones who knew the Source would be there but came anyway. In the row next to hers, Chris and Tyler stood together, their eyes trained on her and Wyatt. _

_Afterwards, Lena thanked everyone for coming, forgoing a reception. Someone distracted Wyatt for a moment, and Chris and Tyler made their way to her. She kissed Tyler, and embraced Chris quickly before Wyatt turned around again. "Lena, you can't stay with him," Chris whispered. _

_"Chris, I just… I can't go back out there, not after this," she said, and for once, she meant it._

_"Lena, please, you can't do this, you can't become…" Tyler pleaded, tears shining in his hazel eyes._

_"I'm sorry," she whispered to him, cupping his face with her hand. _

_Wyatt appeared at her side, curious about what sort of exchange he was interrupting. "Ready to go?" he asked, rubbing Lena's shoulders in a comforting gesture._

_"Yeah," she responded sadly. "Bye Chris," she said, standing on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. As her lips reached his skin, she said in the tightest telepathic connection she could muster, "He's going to use Leo to help bring you back to his HQ. Be careful." Then she turned and walked out, Wyatt at her side._

_

* * *

_

_Chris ran as fast as he could, his breath catching in his throat and the assassin witch hot on his trail. A cloaking spell prevented her from just shimmering to him, but he knew she would find his footprints or something soon enough. He briefly considered orbing, but knew she could somehow track his orbs, so it would be more dangerous than what he was currently doing – running. And besides, he really did not have any place to orb to. _

_Tyler had met with the witches who wanted to stop Wyatt, a 'resistance' of sorts, but they did not want a Halliwell within their ranks. They did not trust him. So the whole week after the funeral he had spent sleeping in the back room of P3, or abandoned apartments, or the Underworld. _

_He paused to catch his breath, leaning against an old oak tree. Then he heard her voice and knew he should have never stopped. "Come out come out wherever you are," she sang, her voice low and smooth. "I know you're out here, Christopher. But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you…" '… if you cooperate' she added in her head with a slight smile. "You know, we could play games that are much more… enjoyable… once you join Wyatt," Bianca mentioned, silently approaching the tree Chris hid behind._

_Hearing her feet crunching against leaves, Chris ran, his heart banging against his ribs. "Decided to come out?" Bianca laughed, and Chris knew he could not run anymore, not when his unguarded back would make such a great target for her. So, dejectedly, he spun around, ready to give her one hell of a fight._

_Bianca proved to be a skilled fighter, confident and assured in her abilities. Her athames had drawn blood, and she had watched death; the hollowness of her eyes proved that. However, she was fighting out of instinct and for her employer, while Chris was fighting for his freedom, knowing that Wyatt had sent her after him. He also still possessed the stone that tripled his powers, and so he took the upper hand. _

_Chris blasted her back with TK, and redirected her energy balls while she rolled and flipped. Sweeping her leg out, she knocked him on the ground, jumping on top of him, her athame poised at his throat. She held his arms down, forgetting that there were other ways to channel telekinesis. Taking a cue from his Aunt Prue, Chris used his eyes to send her flying into the forest. She shimmered in behind him, and he orbed father into the woods. Astral projecting, he silently appeared behind her._

_"Your heart really isn't in this," he announced, ripping her weapon from her hand. _

_"How did you get over here?!" she demanded, but he disappeared in a blur of red. _

_Now he waited for her, a predator in the darkness. Bianca walked warily towards him, drawing another athame and barely breathing as she listened for him. Out of nowhere, Chris suddenly leapt onto her, pinning her to the ground and putting her own athame to her throat. He drew blood, just a little, just enough to sicken him._

_"Just do it!" Bianca shouted; the blade cold against her neck._

_Chris hesitated. This woman was a witch, not some demon he could just vanquish. And if he started killing witches too… he'd be no better than Wyatt. "You've won," Bianca hissed; her pride damaged._

_"Go back to Wyatt, tell him I got away," Chris said, climbing off of her but keeping her in place with his telekinesis. He had turned around when he saw blue lights appearing before him. Bloody athame in hand, he stared as the lights formed into Leo. _

_"Dad? What're you—" he began, stopping as Lena's warning echoed in his mind. Dematerializing as he sought to escape, Chris did not make it far. A sudden pain enveloped him, and he was right back to where he stood before, white lightning forming a cage around him. Peering between the bolts hopelessly, he spotted his father, hands outstretched. "What are you doing?!" Chris demanded in horror as he fought against the Elder's powers. He could not break through. _

"_Your brother thinks he can rehabilitate you, and I only pray that he's right, Chris. So I can't let you escape." _

_"No! Please, you don't know what you're doing!" Chris cried futilely. "You have to help me!" Behind him, Bianca was back up on her feet, watching in wonder as an Elder, a paragon of all that was 'good' prepared to hand his son over to the Source of All Evil. A moment later the lightning redirected; hitting Chris square in the chest and knocking him unconscious. Leo put his hands down as Chris crashed to the ground, smoke rising from his injured flesh. _

_"Take care of him, Bianca," Leo whispered, staring at his son. He shook his head and orbed away, missing the look of anger that briefly crossed Bianca's face._

_"Come on, we're going to see your brother," she sighed, putting a hand on Chris' shoulder and shimmering them both away._

_

* * *

_

"He thought Chris was the Source?" Piper asked incredulously after Lena finished a very brief rendition of Leo's actions after Wyatt came to power.

"Yeah… He just really didn't want it to be Wyatt, so I guess he picked the next most likely suspect. But that's all history now," she added with a sigh, hoping to change the topic.

"Aunt Piper, do you need anything? Something to eat or drink?" Lena suddenly queried, seeming to just remember that her aunt was very pregnant.

"No thanks, Lena," Piper responded, feeling a bit nauseous at what her husband had become.

"Tell us about… Chris and Bianca," Phoebe said her voice gushing at the prospect of hearing something really romantic.

Lena smiled beautifully. "Chris and Bianca, now there's a story…

* * *

**A/N: Only one flashback heavy chapter left, then we're into the action! Woot! Thanks to everyone who's been patiently waiting for the story to move along, but I feel like this backstory stuff is necessary. Anyway, let me know what you thought in a review!**

**Thank you,**

**_Ada_**


	11. Reunited

**A/N: Another day another chapter, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter. **

**

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**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 11: Reunited

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_"I don't know where to go  
I don't know what to be  
I don't know how to change from being me  
I don't know what to say  
Maybe another day  
I'll stop getting lost and find my way, home  
All I know is gone..."_

"I Don't Know" - Lostprophets

_

* * *

_

_**2022**_

_When Chris woke up, he found himself in a small bedroom. Having expected something much less pleasant, Chris wondered for a moment if Leo really had betrayed him, or if he took him to safety. All thoughts of fatherly love died the moment the door opened and revealed Bianca. _

_"Oh good, you are awake," Bianca said, leaning against the doorway to the bedroom, watching him with deep brown eyes._

_"What are you doing here?" Chris asked, sitting up in bed. His shirt had been changed while he was unconscious, and he could feel bandages over the burn Leo had inflicted. _

_"Wyatt sent me to check up on you. He wanted me to tell him when you woke up," she added. She felt a bit uncomfortable under his strong gaze._

_"Well then, shouldn't you be running along like a good little puppy dog to tell your master?" Chris spat._

_Bianca's eyes narrowed in anger. "I'm not his dog," she said harshly. "I'm just smart enough to choose the winning side."_

_"Well if you want to go to Hell when you die, then yeah, you're on the right track."_

_"Why didn't you kill me?" It seemed that question had been bothering her for a while. Chris started, not expecting it._

_"What?"_

_"In the woods, you had a perfect chance to kill me, but you wasted it. I want to know why," she ordered._

_"Well since you asked so nicely…" Chris began, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Bianca glared at him, and he decided to tell her the truth. "I'm not Wyatt, I don't go around killing people just for the hell of it."_

_"It wouldn't have been 'just for the hell of it'. I was trying to capture you, and you knew that."_

_"Well let's just say I have a problem with killing witches," Chris sighed, wishing the 'inquisition' would be over._

_"Because you're a witch? Your cousin murdered three witches, and she hasn't seemed too broken up about it."_

_"Well, you haven't assisted in the murder of any of my relatives yet. Do that, and then I'll probably be more inclined," Chris answered with a smug smile. "Besides, I didn't think you had any Elders as back-up," he threw in._

_"I didn't know he was coming," Bianca shrugged._

_"Not that this small-talk isn't great fun, but what do you want?"_

_"Well, Wyatt's on a vanquish, so I've got nowhere to be," Bianca sighed._

_"So you thought you'd come in and start the torture. Wonderful. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to mope in peace. Ta ta," he said, waving his hand. When his TK did not shove her out into the hall and slam the door closed, Chris became a little worried. Then he noticed the metal band on his wrist._

_"Wyatt made that to suspend your powers," Bianca smiled, her well-manicured eyebrows raised. _

_"I'm touched," Chris said, keeping the banter going with Bianca as he tried to work his mind through the mess he was in._

_"You should be, he went to a lot of trouble to get you and bring you here."_

_"And where is 'here' exactly?" Chris asked, standing up and taking in the details of his room. Wyatt had incorporated his things from the Halliwell Manor, making it feel slightly, painfully, like home. He lifted up a framed photograph from Wyatt's tenth birthday. In it, Piper, Leo, Phoebe, Alec, Paige, and Mark stood in the back row, Wyatt, Chris, and Lena smiling from in front of them. They had all been happy that day. Chris liked to think that those were simpler times, but in a lot of ways, they were not. Chris pushed his emotions away, keeping his grief at bay as he calmly put the photo back onto the table._

_"The new Headquarters. We're in the heart of the city right now, you have windows, go see for yourself," Bianca answered, still beside the door frame, making no move to approach him._

_Chris walked over to the windows and pushed the blinds away, staring out at a San Francisco he did not even recognize. Demolished buildings and decay lay as far as the eye could see, stretching out to the bay where the ruined Golden Gate Bridge looked on, a silent witness to the horrors. _

_"And what a lovely city it's become," Chris muttered, turning back to face Bianca. "So, what does my dear brother want with me, anyway?" _

_"He just wants you to be on his side, Chris."_

_"You keep talking to me like you know me," Chris pointed out._

_"Well I do, kind of. He's had me watch you for a while."_

_"Okay that's just creepy, and proves that my blocking potion thoroughly sucked. Now could you leave me alone? I have to work out an escape plan," Chris explained. _

_Bianca stared at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a third arm or something. "Something wrong?" he asked her as he examined the magical seal on his windows._

_"You're Master Wyatt's brother, you should know what he's capable of better than anyone…"_

_"Your point?"_

_"How can you seriously consider escape when you know how powerful he is?"_

_"I'm not going to become someone I don't want to be just because Wyatt's stronger than I am. He can kill me if he wants to, but I am not going to forsake all that my family stood and died for. Not for him, not for anyone."_

_Bianca watched him silently, as if she had never seen anything quite like him before. The courage, and defiance present in his eyes despite the current circumstances… Bianca knew it would not last forever, but wondered how far Wyatt would have to go to break his little brother. She stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her and leaving him in peace. _

_As a Phoenix, she had always been surrounded by her fellows; her coven. They were fiercely loyal and were for all purposes, a family. If a Phoenix witch were killed on a job, then the coven would find themselves honor bound to complete the task for the witch, seeking revenge as well. It seemed the perfect balance of work and family. And yet here were the Halliwells, the strongest witches ever born, and they were fighting one another. She knew Lena would eventually come out of her grief-induced stupor long enough to realize her mistake, and Chris adamantly refused to join Wyatt's side. Wyatt for his part, seemed to calmly accept the possibilities that his only surviving blood relatives may need to be tortured and broken to keep them with him. Bianca could not understand this, and wondered if the Halliwells were warped, or if everything she learned about families were a lie._

_

* * *

_

_Her hands metaphorically coated in the blood of innocents and good witches, Lena returned to the sanctity of her room, far from Wyatt. She concealed herself away; away from Wyatt's proud smiles, his encouragements, his evil. Closing the door and locking it, she set out to do what she had desired for years. _

_Going into a tall wooden cabinet, she pulled out white candles and formed a circle with them. One by one she lit them, the tip of her finger acting as a match. When the circle's lit candles twinkled at her, she stood before them. The spell she had long ago memorized, awaiting this moment, flooded into her mind. _

_Her voice trembling, she began; the image of her mother firm in her mind's eye._

_"Hear these words, hear my cry_

_Spirit from the other side,_

_Come to me, I summon thee,_

_Cross now the great…" Lena stopped, wind swirling around her, waiting for her to utter the last word in order to open a doorway between life and death. Rage built within her at her inability to finish the spell, and a fireball formed in her hand. She released it at one of the candles, destroying it and causing the air to still. _

_She could not summon her mother, how could she possibly face her after what she'd done, after what she had become? _

_Changing tactics, she conjured another candle to replace the empty spot, and then reworded the spell._

_"Hear these words, hear my cry_

_Spirit of my great-grandmother Kalos from the other side_

_Come to me, I summon thee_

_Cross now the great divide."_

_The wind blew gusty and strong as white lights formed into her father's grandmother, the woman who first bore the name 'Lena.' Lena Halliwell had never seen her spirit before, but she had seen enough pictures to recognize her. The stately Greek woman stepped out of the circle, pulling her granddaughter into a tight embrace._

_"Is daddy okay?" she asked before they drew apart, wanting more than anything to know her father was at peace._

_"He's worried about you," her great-grandmother explained. "And rightly so, you are playing with fire, my dear."_

_"I know, but I had this premonition that I have to prevent… I want to think that I'm doing the right thing here, but I just can't tell."_

_"And so you summoned me to talk about it?" she asked, sitting on the bed beside Lena and draping her arm over her shoulders. "An act of betrayal is always difficult, Lena. First you must gain the trust of the one you wish to destroy, and then actually commit the act."_

_"But you think I can do it?"_

_"I most certainly do. But you must not lose yourself in the process."_

_"I just keep telling myself that ultimately I will be saving lives," she sighed._

_"And you will, if you succeed. In the meantime, you should know, your cousin has been brought here."_

_"Chris?! Wyatt captured him?" Lena questioned._

_"Yes. I do not know if that sways your decision or not my dear. However, your spirit guide, the man named Cole, he will serve you well. Listen to him and to your heart granddaughter, and you will know what to do." With that she stepped back into the circle and disappeared._

_

* * *

_

_Lena sat staring at the candle circle, completely oblivious to the door that had been opened, and the woman watching her with piercing eyes. "A séance?" the woman asked, making herself known._

_"Bianca?" Lena asked, scrambling to her feet and knocking over the candles with a blast of air. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Didn't Wyatt tell you to not 'disturb the spirits'?" Bianca laughed. "I hate to think ill of the Master, but I'm beginning to wonder if he has any idea about what you and Chris really are."_

_"And what are we?" Lena stepped in front of the mirror, staring at her black-clad reflection. Cole stared back from the mirror silently. She turned back to Bianca, waiting for the Phoenix to answer her question. "I know what you are," she said when no answer seemed forthcoming. "The Phoenixes were good witches once, but because of the bigotry of mortals they turned to the other side, selling themselves out as hired assassins, and turning their backs on their true roots."_

_"And how do you know that?" Bianca snapped._

_"I've been a 'psychic' since I was born, Bianca. I also took the liberty of updating the Phoenix section of the Book of Shadows. I wonder if Wyatt's read it yet…"_

_Bianca glared at her, tired of this particular witch's tendency to be incredibly vague. Then the answer dawned on her, the reason she had not trusted Lena since she saw her at Wyatt's side. "The good witch that infiltrated the coven, that was you, wasn't it?"_

_Lena shrugged. "We thought maybe the Phoenixes had something to do with my mother's murder. I had to find out for myself. I was astonished by the coven though. That fierce loyalty," she shook her head briefly, and Bianca remembered the contrast she had seen between her family and the Halliwells. _

_"Are you going to tell my cousin about the séance?" Lena asked, swinging the discussion back around to the original topic._

_"I only tell him what he asks of me. If it comes up – yes. If not; then no. It's not like I'm in love with Wyatt or something, this is a job and he's my employer, plain and simple."_

_"I wonder if I'll ever understand how killing can be a profession. But that doesn't matter now. I have a question for you though, what's Wyatt going to do with Chris?"_

_"He hasn't told me. But I would assume that he wants him on his side."_

_Lena laughed, approaching Bianca. "Wyatt's always been a stubborn boy, he just never knew how to accept what he could not control._

_"Well, thanks Bianca. You're not as cold as you would like to think." Bianca looked at her strangely, and saw the pink stone on her necklace twinkle good-naturedly. She reached out a hand and patted Bianca's shoulder. She gasped as she was pulled into a premonition. _

_**"Bianca?" Chris asked with surprise as the Phoenix pushed the door open to his bedroom.**_

_**"Come on, we need to act quickly," she whispered. "Your cousin made this," she added, placing a blessed stone over the band on Chris' wrist. It snapped in two and clattered to the floor. In the background screams and vanquishes could be heard. "The Resistance is providing cover," she explained as they ran into the hallway. They raced through the corridors, ducking fireballs, and dodging arrows. **_

_**The vision shifted ahead, and in her mind's eye Lena watched as they escaped from Wyatt's headquarters, racing out into the dark night. A group of people met them on the other side, Tyler in the front.**_

_**"Good luck," Bianca said, embracing Chris and kissing him passionately. "I have to go back in and keep my cover… Get away from here," she added, staring at him before turning and running back into the building.**_

_Lena removed her hand from Bianca's shoulder, smiling at her. "What was that? What just happened to you?" Bianca demanded._

_"Oh nothing," Lena answered, an overwhelming feeling of relief flooding through her. "It's been nice talking to you, see ya later."_

_

* * *

_

_Bianca and two demons escorted Chris to his first meeting with Wyatt. The strongest witch alive had congregated his top demon supporters in his 'office' with him. He stood at the head of the table, where three chairs were set out. Lena stood beside him, eyes downcast. The room was darkened, torches burning to provide light, and the exit behind Wyatt was barred. The demons led him to Wyatt's other side, and as he approached, he caught eyes with Lena, she seemed sad, but resigned. Some of the light in her eyes had died. _

_"So what's this all about, Wyatt?" Chris demanded. _

_"This Chris, is what I like to think of as a 'family meeting'. It's about time we got all of our issues out in the open, wouldn't you think?" _

_

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_**A/N: Let me know what you thought!**

**Thanks for reading,**

**_Ada_**


	12. Sides Chosen

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who's been reading and reviewing! Here's the last bulk of flashbacks, and then we get to the action in the present of our story!**

**Enjoy!**

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**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 12: Sides Chosen

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"Don't you think I know what they need? I know. They want me to be like them, for that is the only joy left in their poor lives: to make others just like them. Don't you think I can feel their hands running over me, looking for that weak point through which they might enter me. I know that point. But I'm not going to tell anyone where it is, not even you, and not even in my thoughts." – Christa Wolf "What Remains"

* * *

_Wyatt waved his hand and Bianca and the demons stalked out, leaving the Halliwells alone._

_If anything Lena tensed more with their departure, her hands clasped tightly into fists that trembled every now and then. Chris watched Wyatt warily, wondering about his brother's intentions. "Well sit down," Wyatt said with a laugh, sitting and pulling his chair close to the table. Lena caught Chris' eye as she pulled her chair away from Wyatt slightly and sat stiffly, angling her body away from him. Chris did the same, and so he and Lena were across from each other with Wyatt adjacent. "Now, it's time for us to discuss your futures," he smiled, staring down his younger brother. "Chris, I know you're stubborn, but it's time to give it up and join my side," he said lazily, as if he were discussing what flavor ice cream to get, not trying to force his brother to become something he wasn't. _

_"Wyatt, you can take your 'join the dark side' monologue and shove it, I'm not going to 'align' myself with you or help feed your crazy ambition to take over the world."_

_"You do realize how easily I could kill you, don't you?" Wyatt demanded, eyes narrowing._

_"So threats now huh? What happened to the softer side of Wyatt, I thought you'd at least try to appeal to family loyalty or something before you pulled the 'join me or die' line. Jeez Wy, you really think threatening me is going to work? I thought you knew me better than that."_

_"I do," Wyatt sighed. "I didn't want to have to resort to this Chris, it sort of makes me feel like a schoolyard bully or a lame gangster from those mob movies, but I'll do what I have to do…"_

_Lena gasped, reading what Wyatt was about to say from his mind, and Chris turned to her sharply. "Wyatt you can't!" she said. "They have nothing to do with this!"_

_"They? Lena, what the hell is he planning?"_

_Before Lena could respond Wyatt spun his hand in the air and an image appeared. Chris stared at the magical screen, but more importantly, at the people huddled together in a cramped, darkened space. Wyatt sliced his hand through it and it disappeared. _

_Chris' eyes widened, still glued to the now empty space, the space where he had seen his closest friends grouped together, captured. "They have nothing to do with this," he growled, repeating Lena's earlier words._

_"Chris, you may be stubborn, but so am I. And I won't accept anything less than the last of my family being together. We're all that's left of them, and we need to stick together, no matter what. And I will do whatever it takes to make you realize that."_

_"You think torturing my friends will make me want to be part of your little empire?" Chris said, and there was no false humor in his voice now, only icy coldness. His jaw was set, and beneath the table he had clenched his hands into fists, unable to find a way out of the terrible situation he now found himself in. Surrendering to Wyatt meant saving his friends, but giving away his sense of self, it would be letting Wyatt win, and he knew what would happen then. Together, the three of them would indeed be the most powerful force on Earth, but only for Wyatt's purposes. There would be no compromise, no agreement, only Wyatt's plans and no way to escape with his back against the wall and an endless stream of threats that would keep him in line until, willingly or not, he became exactly who Wyatt wanted him to be. _

_He glanced across the table at his cousin, and found her staring at him with shining eyes, undoubtedly having realized the parameters of his situation as well. She had given herself over to Wyatt in an attempt to protect Chris and Tyler, Chris knew that much, and he also recognized the way Wyatt was using the threat of harm against his friends rather than him to appease Lena, to prove he hadn't broken his deal with her. They were both trapped, tangled in the web Wyatt had created, a maze of secrets and lies and threats and false promises with no exit and no way out. _

_But even knowing this, even knowing what Wyatt was threatening to do, he found he could not hate his brother. The painful hatred and rage he felt towards the demon responsible for the death of his mother, towards the Elders who murdered Alec, and the creature that turned Paige and her girls into trophies, and the dark thing that took out Phoebe, that all encompassing anger and desire to do nothing more than destroy them and see their death was just not there as he stared into Wyatt's cold eyes. Because beyond all of it, he still saw that blonde-haired boy who promised to always be there, that child that fought with his personal internal demons everyday, the boy who he knew was still there, still trapped somewhere within, and he couldn't find it in him to hate that kid, to hate his big brother, to want to destroy him, he just couldn't. _

_But then there was Lena, eyes darker than he remembered, swiveling her gaze towards Wyatt and he saw it, he saw the flash of rage pass through her eyes. And in that one horrible moment he could tell that she was not planning on playing Wyatt's lap-dog forever; that something else was spinning in Lena's mind. He remembered the athame she produced at the coronation, the way she confidently whispered Wyatt's plan in his ear before she walked out of the funeral. She could see past the kinder, gentler Wyatt that Chris had known, she could close her mind to him and see only the leering enemy that sat before them now. But no… Lena was only fifteen, and Chris could just not imagine it, could just not see how she could sit there and contemplate murder at such a young age. It was all wrong, and it wasn't even close to the life she should have had, the one she would have had if everything hadn't gone sideways._

_'Lena no…' Chris thought firmly, and her eyes twitched to him quickly before returning to their death-stare at Wyatt. "I… I want a minute to talk to Lena," Chris said suddenly, surprising Wyatt who had seemed to grow bored of waiting for Chris to make a decision._

_"What for?" Wyatt asked._

_"Dammit Wyatt, you're talking about torturing my friends to death and before I decide anything I just want a minute to talk to my cousin, is that really so much to ask?!" he demanded._

_"Fine," Wyatt responded, tight-lipped. "Fine, talk to her, laugh, cry, tell jokes, whatever, but I expect you to come to a decision. When I return I want you at my side Chris, and if that doesn't happen… well I think you rather figured out what I intend to do."_

_"Yes I think I have," Chris said, eyes downcast. Wyatt swept from the room, the door slamming purposefully behind him. _

_"What is it, Chris?" Lena asked. _

_"I know that… you know both of us can't be on his side."_

_"I know," Lena said softly. _

_The next words out of his mouth hurt, but he knew that Lena already saw the truth in them, had figured it out before he did. "But one of us has to be… isn't that right?"_

_"He'll grow impatient if we both leave… he'll realize it's easier on his own…" She wasn't looking at him, instead staring intently at her hands, and the slight sliver of gray skin on the underside of her wrist, where the athame had magically lodged itself. _

_"You want to stop him, don't you?" he asked quietly, slightly disbelieving. Because when he looked at her his mind still showed him a five year old with tan skin, shockingly black hair and mischievous smile wearing a headband with little ears on it and saying "Look at me, Chris! I'm a tiger! Grawr! Look at me!" He shook his mind clear of the image and focused on her, really __**focused **__on her, wondering where that girl had gone and when she had been replaced by this person. By the young woman in front of him with the pale face and dark eyes who was willing to murder one of the only relative she had left, who was willing to lie, to cheat, to kill, in order to gain the trust required to get close enough to him to put an end to him once and for all. _

_"Someone has to," she responded firmly. "We can't let him keep doing what he's doing. But… I understand… you're his brother and you…"_

_"We're all family, Lena!" he shouted, rising from the table. "Godammit I just don't know what to __**do **__anymore!" _

_"You think I want this Chris? You think I imagined that when I was fifteen I would be learning the fine art of witch-hunting? But we can't do what we want anymore Chris, Wyatt's forced us against a wall and we have to decide between the options we have, what's best for each of us and for the world. Don't you get that?"_

_"Of course I get that," he said quietly. His mind had already made the necessary connections for him, and for the life of him he couldn't find any other way. And he wanted to think all of it was right, all of it was the best thing, but he couldn't help but wonder if he was being selfish, if he was thinking solely of himself when he did this, and not any sort of grand 'greater good.'_

_"You were right before. I can't do it, I could never do __**that**__…" he didn't even want to say what it was out loud, let alone contemplate ways and means. "But… one of us has to be on the inside. He's becoming too powerful. The only chance we have to stop him from hurting anyone else is the two of us. Alone, we're just not strong enough. We need to survive." _

_"So what have you decided?" Lena asked softly. Not needing telepathy to work out what he was about to say, to know what conclusion he came to, to hear the door slam with finality on all the dreams she once had, and her lone escape route barred. _

_"I think that…" 'God forgive me' he thought. "Being at his side – that's the safest you can be. The one of us who defies him… he's going to do every terrible thing he can think of to break us, and… I can't let that happen to you. I think that joining him… it's the best thing for you Lena."_

_A lump swelled in her throat as he said those words. Some part of her had wanted him to not follow her logic, to want to take her away from there, to make some sort of plan that involved both of them getting away from him and going on the run. But she also knew he was right, had known ever since that damn premonition showed her the only possible future if both of them defied Wyatt. And she also knew why it had to be her, why she was the one who had to stay back. Because Chris wouldn't be able to kill Wyatt, no matter how far he pushed him, but somehow, she knew that she could separate this evil man from her cousin in her mind, could find a way to put a stop to him despite him being related. And she couldn't figure out if that made her or Chris the weak one. _

_"Then what… what are you planning to do?" _

_"I have to get out."_

_"You know what he's planning on doing to them if you resist him."_

_"I know," Chris hung his head. "But I can't… I can't see any other way. Can you?" he asked miserably._

_"No, but… I'm going to find a way to disable that bracelet he gave you," she said suddenly. "I already know I will. And you just need to think of a plan, to stay strong until you get your chance."_

_"I'm so sorry that it's come to this, Lena."_

_"So am I," she sighed, crossing the table and putting her arms around him, hugging him gently. _

_"I just… what could've made him turn into this?" he asked futilely. _

_"We might never know, Chris. But I just… there has to be a way to stop this, there just has to be."_

_They held onto each other for a long time, and only when Wyatt stormed back in did they break apart, Chris glaring at him with defiance and Lena averting her eyes. Wyatt knew Chris' decision just from looking at his face, and had him forcibly removed from the room by the demons. _

_In the end Bianca stood in the doorway awaiting instructions, and Wyatt patted Lena on the shoulder and told her that he was glad she made the right choice at least, and Lena tried to stop herself from turning on him right then, tried to remind herself that there was a plan, that this wasn't what the rest of her life would be like. And then he sent her from the room and she brushed against Bianca's arm, the assassin followed her with her eyes down the hall and she caught the thoughts that ran through Bianca's mind, the strongest of which being 'Is this what they call a family?'. That night Lena cried like she hadn't since her mother died and promised herself that this would be the last time. All the while Cole muttered to her gently and she wondered if she really had what it took to stop Wyatt._

_And while Bianca and Wyatt discussed tactics, and Lena cried, Chris was forced to watch as his friends were tortured and killed one by one, all the while repeating over and over that sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. He had no idea that those same thoughts were what once drove an Elder to try and commit murder; that this idea had inadvertently created the situation he was now trying to escape. And he wondered just how much he could take before he too wanted to murder Wyatt. _

_As Sharon, a red-haired witch who he knew since kindergarten screamed in agony and Chris' own shouts joined in, he idly wondered if this was what it felt like to go insane. _

_

* * *

_

_The door to Chris' apartment/cell slid open and two demons roughly tossed him inside, locking him in after they left. "Chris!" Bianca cried, darting out from behind a couch and running towards where he had fallen on the rug. "Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside him and seeing the distant and hollowed look in his eyes. She didn't know what made her come back and wait for him, what had made her pace so impatiently and nervously as each hour he was gone ticked by. There were so many times she had stood up to leave, but always ended up there still, waiting, maybe even worrying. And to see Chris reduced to such a state so quickly, it frightened her for reasons she didn't clearly understand yet._

_"He killed them…" Chris whispered to no one in particular. "And then he made me watch it over and over and over."_

_"Who, Chris?" Bianca asked tenderly, shifting him so that he was sitting, his shoulders leaning against her. _

_"My friends… Caitlin, Dan, Tom, Sharon… god, Sharon…" Chris cried, not even really aware of who the woman holding onto him was. He just felt a feminine touch, and it drew him away from the darkness that seemed to be pushing at all sides and reminded him of when he was younger and his mother would hold him and how she could make everything instantly all right. And it was her he thought he heard murmuring sweet reassurances to him and running her fingers through his long hair as he fell asleep._

_

* * *

_

2027

Lena had been retelling with as little emotion as she possibly could, how Wyatt had tortured Chris' friends to force him to join him. It was a night that Chris himself barely remembered now. It had made him weak, and she did what she had to do when she buried his recollections of that night far back in his mind, when she stifled the emotions that had coursed through him, and made the whole time after their conversation about destroying Wyatt just a blur of light and noise. But having watched all of it through Chris' mind, she found it was hard to talk about, and the anxious glances of her mother and her aunts had her skipping over details and pausing and unsure if she really wanted them to know something that she had made Chris, the victim that night, forget.

Nothing about that day had been easy for either of them. It solidified their roles in Wyatt's little world, and set the path that led to where they now stood. Their 'foolproof' plan turned out to have so many holes. Wyatt knew that Lena could use telepathy to help 'persuade' Chris to change sides, and kept heavy influence on her, tried to make her do it, and whenever she refused him something he would give her that look; that expression that seemed to say that he knew what she was really up to and he wasn't amused. And the more Chris rebelled and pushed back, the more Wyatt wanted him controlled, and so their terrible circle went around and around.

Bianca turned out to be an unlikely godsend. There was in immediate attraction between the Hispanic assassin and Wyatt's little brother. And luckily Wyatt, so focused on hatred and revenge and power, couldn't see it, didn't realize it was there until it was too late. As one of Wyatt's 'inner circle' of supporters, she had even been assigned to keep an eye on Chris, and so the most unlikely of romances had begun along with one very rocky friendship.

* * *

_"He's going to win." She sounded so sure, so confident in those words that it made Lena want to scream but she doesn't, instead she just stares, just stares and waits for her to elaborate, waits for her to say something else. "Aren't you listening? I said that Wyatt is going to win! Chris is going to turn!"_

_"Why the hell do you even care?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she wasn't even sure why she said it. She thought maybe it was jealousy that was clawing around inside her every time those dark eyes connected with hers, and she hated that she was actually jealous of the fact that this woman, seven years older than her and an accomplished killer, could visit her cousin freely while she's monitored. Because that just shows where the loyalty lies, doesn't it? And doesn't that prove that Bianca is loyal to Wyatt, because she has more free reign._

_"You have to fix this."_

_"You didn't answer my question."_

_"I… I can't explain it okay! I just know that he can't lose to Wyatt now, and you know it too! Nothing will ever change if this happens! Chris needs to stay Chris, and he has to get out of here! You have to fix this! What Wyatt did to him – he can't handle it! Watching those people die… it's driving him insane, Lena, and I know, I __**know**__ you can do something about it. So please help him!" The phoenix was almost in tears and Lena found herself feeling oddly numb. She's felt like that ever since that first night when she cried, and she finds it hard to listen to Bianca, because she knows she should feel something, that the horrible blackness that's overtaking her is exactly what Wyatt wants, and she has to fight it, but it's already so hard. "You're already losing, Lena. Don't let him take Chris down too."_

_Those words snapped her out of her stupor and she heard it over and over 'you're already losing.' Bianca's right and Lena knows it, and that more than anything caused a spark to flare up within her, because she might have lost just about everything and everyone she loved, but she would not lose her soul to Wyatt, and she would not go back on the promise she made with herself to find a way to stop him. _

_

* * *

_

_Chris was drowning. He could feel darkness clawing at him from all directions, intent on stealing his soul, and he found himself unable to fight, disarmed by the screams of agony and begs for mercy uttered by his friends as Wyatt's demons tore them apart. And each day he sank just a little farther, and wanted nothing more than the all-encompassing blackness Wyatt promised him, the ability to not be able to __**feel**__ anymore. Because feeling had never been so terrible before and numbness sounds so pleasant, so beautiful that he wants it with all he has. _

_Everyday a woman came to him, but Chris could now see that she was not his mother, nor his aunt. She was just Wyatt's trained assassin, and so he didn't understand why she seemed so sad the few times he actually forced himself to focus on her, or why he heard her whisper 'keep fighting' in his ear. She worked for Wyatt, so shouldn't she be happy that Wyatt was about to get exactly what he wanted?_

_Wyatt came to see him again and gave him promises of numbness and the sort of power that makes all pain disappear, and Chris was able to forget that all of this was Wyatt's fault in the first place, and he wanted what he promised and he found himself welcoming the darkness around him, beckoning it closer and wanting it to overcome him so that he could forget all of this and become someone else._

_And just as Chris began to give himself over completely, there were different hands on him, and he smelled irises and coconuts and was suddenly surrounded by __**Lena.**__ A bright light encompassed him then and his mouth tasted oddly like lemon as the light banished the darkness from his mind and he lost track of why he wanted numbness as his feeling came back on and he remembered why he was supposed to be fighting. That terrible night was siphoned away, sucked into the darkness as it swirled and disappeared into some deep shadowed place that he couldn't reach, and he opened his eyes and truly __**saw.**__ And what he saw was his cousin withdrawing from the hold she had on him, and Bianca watching him with shining eyes and he thought that no one had ever been so beautiful as her._

_

* * *

_

_After Lena buried the memory Chris became himself again, a little diminished perhaps, but more himself than he had been since that night. He worked extra hard on all plans to escape, and found Bianca helping him, spending time with him, growing closer to him. To Bianca, the way someone treated their family showed their true colors, their true worth, and the way Wyatt acted towards his family allowed her to see just what sort of tyrant she now worked for. She realized her mistake, her mistake in thinking that Wyatt was the witch they had all been waiting for to raise them from their low status to the most respected and feared of people. She realized she should never have trusted him, followed him, allied herself with him. But it was too late for her to back out, she knew that much, she was in too deep, and so all she could do was try and help those who worked against him. _

_Wyatt seemed stumped as to how Chris managed to still resist him, and took to forcing Chris to accompany him to meetings with his supporters and to vanquishes, like a dog on a chain, hoping to show Chris how much power he controlled and how it would be useless to try and fight against him. Chris tried to forget the way the witches Wyatt tortured for information on the so-called 'Resistance' that was growing while he was forced to watch, and he also tried to ignore the hunger on the faces of the demons who stared at him, as if wanting him to slip up so they could have the pleasure of killing him themselves. And through it all Bianca was there, and sometimes Chris thought that she was the only thing that kept him sane, kept him focused, throughout that time. Chris was not permitted to visit with or see Lena, so Bianca became the go-between. Lena put Bianca in contact with Tyler, who had been working with the underground and between him and Chris they hatched an escape plan. _

_And nearly six months after his capture, Tyler and members of the Resistance launched a full-out attack on Wyatt's headquarters, which were merely a ruse that gave Chris (sans bracelet thanks to Lena) a chance to make a break for it. They breached the perimeter and made it into the city without Wyatt realizing it, so caught up in the battle himself._

_"Good luck," Bianca said, embracing Chris and kissing him passionately as they stood safely away from the headquarters, Chris surrounded by Resistance witches. "I have to go back in and keep my cover… Get away from here," she added, staring at him before turning and running back into the building. Chris watched her go, and then, Tyler standing beside him, orbed far away from Wyatt._

_

* * *

_**A/N: I would love to know what you thought.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Ada**


	13. Ever Watchful

**A/N: Well here's another chapter of Bound By Blood, I got through my main writer's block in the last chapter, so they should be coming out faster now. Enjoy!**

* * *

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 13: Ever Watchful

* * *

_"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."_ - Henry David Thoreau

* * *

"I was a lot more active in the Resistance before Chris left. Since then, Wyatt's been on edge and we all know he has spies everywhere, so I can't take any chances." 

"Everything's been resting on Chris saving Wyatt, hasn't it?" Piper asked, holding Chris' hand as he remained unconscious.

"Basically, but I… I have a back-up plan," Lena said. Suddenly her eyes widened. "A plan that you could help me with." She concentrated and an athame emerged from within her into her left hand. "I need each of you to bless this for me, please."

Piper stared Lena in the eye. "Why, what are you going to do with that?"

"Woah, is this what I think it is?" Phoebe asked, taking the weapon from Lena and holding it with awe.

"What? Let me see!" Paige demanded, yanking the athame away from her older sister. She gasped as she stared at it. "This is from that demon reality show!"

"Yeah, the one I used to vanquish all those demons… Lena, honey, how do you have this?" Phoebe took the athame away from Paige as she spoke.

"You left it to me – in your will. I've been using it to collect demonic powers."

"I did? Huh."

"What are you going to do with it? How are you planning on stopping Wyatt?" Piper pressed, not likely that her son's cousin was holding a vanquishing weapon.

"I'm just going to remove his powers. Without them he'll just be a whiny spoiled brat."

"This athame isn't strong enough to take his powers," Phoebe volunteered as she looked at it.

"Well I've strengthened it. The weapon itself does not contain the powers anymore; it sort of channels them into me instead. And as long as Chris and I bless it, it should be enough. But then if you three bless it as well – I think it'll definitely work."

Phoebe immediately acquiesced and blessed the athame after using her empathy to sense that Lena's intentions were pure. Her sisters followed suit, handing the athame back to Lena when they were done.

* * *

2027 

Distant chimes rang in the mansion outside the Vault, making everyone jump simultaneously.

"Dammit!" Lena exclaimed, smoothing her hair and turning from them. "I have a Demonic Council meeting, and if I'm not there Wyatt will definitely know something's up. So, just stay here, in this room, and wait for me to come back, okay?"

They promised to remain hidden and watched as Lena ran out the door, shimmering as it closed behind her.

"Demonic Council?" Paige asked, staring at her sisters dumbfounded.

"This future just gets weirder and weirder," Phoebe decided. She began looking around the room at the various magical devices, most of which she had no idea what they were or what they did. A table in the corner was set up with various maps and scrying crystals, stacks of magical texts were shelved above it.

"I just want to get home to protect Wyatt," Piper told no one in particular as she stared down at Chris' face. He had seemed in pain earlier, but the magic healing lotion Lena used had clearly taken effect.

* * *

Within a darkened chamber there hung a medieval chandelier. It cast a lurid glow over the wooden meeting table below it where some two dozen demons and witches now sat. They looked up expectantly as Lena shimmered to the head of the table. 

"You're late," a burly demon snarled. He leaned on the table, and stared at her with angry black eyes. Others in the crowd muttered quietly, agreeing with him and casting disdain at her.

Lena rolled her eyes, and then flicked her hand at him. The demon erupted into a wall of flames, screaming in agony before being reduced to a pile of ash. "Anyone else have a problem with my timing?" she asked. The room fell silent. "Good. Now, on with business," she announced, sitting down.

"Master Wyatt informed us that his brother has come back to this time," an upper-level demon sitting closest to Lena said.

"Yes Dakian, he told me as well," she responded, trying not to give anything away in her voice. However, she could not help but dart her vision to the woman sitting across the table. She of course made no comment, no reaction, she could not, Wyatt had seen to that. "Why should that have any bearing on us?" It may be her army, but the demons and witches certainly liked to pretend it was a democracy.

"Clearly you'll be leaving now to join them," a third demon, Ilear, small and clothed in black robes commented.

"Just because Chris is back does not mean that he and Wyatt are on good terms again.

"What we need to discuss is the uprising in the East quadrant. It's our responsibility, and from my perspective, we certainly have some Resistance witches to vanquish." Her mouth upturned into a smile as she spoke, and several demons cheered.

"Will you be joining us on this mission, Lena?" Ilear questioned, glancing at her suspiciously with beady black eyes.

Lena's mind raced. Ever since Chris had left, Wyatt had been careful to monitor which of the vanquishes she went to, how many witches she killed. He seemed to somehow watch every action she made, and though all she wanted was to go home and watch over Chris, she knew that Wyatt would see her absence and know exactly why she hadn't gone.

"You know what? I think I will. I need to blow off some steam," Lena sighed, knowing her decision at already been made for her. "Okay, let's go." She shot a few sparks out of her hands, and instantly half of the demons in the room shimmered away. The other half smiled at Lena.

"So he's back?" a female demon, Karla, questioned with anticipation.

"Yes he is."

"Then we're finally going to be able to do this," Karla said, her excitement unbridled.

Lena abruptly turned her attention to the silently watching witch, and realized she had forgotten to release a mind spell. Waving her hand in the girl's direction, a slight glimmer of light entered her. A moment later she blinked her brown eyes rapidly and then seemed to regain true awareness of herself. "Is he okay?" she asked with concern.

"More or less," Lena answered carefully.

"You're not going to tell him about me, are you?" she pressed, worried that Lena would let it slip accidentally.

"Not if you don't want me to."

"He can't know that I'm alive – that Wyatt healed me, or that he put that mind spell on me. He'll just get sidetracked."

"If that's what you want, Bianca," Lena sighed. The demons around her seemed to be growing impatient, so Lena turned her attention back to them. "The plan's all set, I'm almost ready to implement it. But first, I need to get Chris back to the past. It's a priority right now. I'm concerned Wyatt might suspect me, and that could seriously screw up any plans I have." The demons nodded in understanding, and Lena shifted her wrist, an athame sliding out of her and into her hand. "This has been blessed by the Power of Three from the past, and soon Chris will bless it as well. With this and the box… it'll be enough."

"What if it's not?" Dakian asked.

"It'll have to be. This is our one shot. I have the Angels of Destiny, the remaining Elders, the last of the Resistance, Avatars, wood nymphs, water sprites, valkyries, fairies, leprechauns, and a host of other magical beings on my side, awaiting the signal. This is going to happen, I swear. I do however, know that there is one last piece of the puzzle I need before I can continue. Once I have it, it'll be time."

"Speaking of time, we should get to the vanquish before they notice we never arrived," Dakian suggested. Lena nodded, and Bianca briefly caught her eye, communicating a look that said so many things at once – gratitude, concern, love – that Lena was taken aback slightly. But then Bianca's gaze shifted, and as one they all shimmered out.

* * *

Piper felt movement beside her, her attention snapping to Chris, she watched as he stirred from his unconscious state. 

Chris' mind felt thick, and he struggled to remember where he was and what had happened. Someone was touching him gently, and he thought immediately of home, of the Manor. But then Wyatt's voice echoed in his mind and he remembered pain and being left alone in the past – trapped. And that could only mean that he was with Wyatt.

He sat bolt upright abruptly, staring around wildly. But he did not see Wyatt's dungeons, or even 'his room' in the castle. Instead he took in the various protections and magic surrounding him, and all of the comforting scents of this place and sighed easily.

Irises and coconuts.

Lena.

His defenses slipped as his body automatically relaxed. She had done it, she had saved him from Wyatt and brought him back to the safest place there was – the Vault that had served her family for generations. Nothing could touch him here.

He turned to where he could hear someone breathing, expecting to see his cousin, a million questions on the tip of her tongue. He was surprised by the sight of brown hair and tear-filled eyes. His cousin wasn't the person stroking his hair gently, instead, it was mom.

"Mom?! What are you doing here?" Chris demanded, completely confused. For a moment he thought that maybe he was in the past, but he belatedly remembered Lena breaking him out, and he would recognize the inside of the Vault anywhere.

"We came to help you," Piper answered, gesturing to where Phoebe and Paige stood on the other side of the bed. "Now lay back again, you're still injured." She had not missed the way he tensed when he noticed her there. He had been so calm a minute earlier, but the sight of her, his mother, send him back behind that wall she had tried so hard to fully breach.

"Lena, where's Lena?" Chris questioned urgently, disregarding Piper's order to lie down and scanning the room with his eyes.

"She said she had somewhere to go – some Demonic Council," Phoebe supplied, watching Chris' reaction carefully, something was definitely wrong.

"Oh great," Chris muttered, obviously frustrated.

"What's wrong with that?" Paige asked. "We can trust her, can't we?"

"We could as of at least one year ago, I don't know what might have happened since then," Chris shrugged. "But hey, we're here, right? So I guess so."

"What worries you so much about Lena?" Phoebe asked carefully. Her powers were back, and in his weakened state, reading Chris' emotions was easy.

"How much do you know about her?" Chris stared at Phoebe, knowing that Lena, being Lena, had blurted out her parentage at some point. She could keep secrets better than anyone, but Chris knew that one look at her mother and all thoughts of secrecy would have gone right out the window.

"Is this about her demonic powers?"

Chris nodded. "She's starting to enjoy them, and what comes with them, it scares me," he confessed. "And she's been alone with Wyatt all this time."

For a moment, no one said anything. "God, how are we ever going to get out of this?" he said to no one in particular. "There's no way to get into the Manor now. And you three definitely need to get home. Maybe Wyatt will let you go if I stay…" he added sadly.

"No! We are not leaving without you!" Piper protested.

"You might not have a choice," Chris sighed.

"I don't want to hear that kind of talk from you!" Piper scolded. "We are all going to go back to 2004 together, got it?"

Chris opened his mouth to reply when the door to the Vault swung open and Lena stalked in. The robes she had been wearing were gone, and now they could see what she had been wearing beneath them, a black catsuit that came up to her neck and had long-sleeves. There were athames strapped to her calf and wrist, and a belt at her waist appeared to hold potion bottles or supplies.

"Lena!" Chris cried happily, pushing himself into a sitting position and then sliding off the bed so he could stand. Lena ran to him, throwing her arms around him. Even in his injured state he lifted her slightly off the ground. "I missed you," he mumbled.

She smiled and hugged him tighter. "Me too." A moment later, he heard a crackling and saw sparks forming where their skin touched. Her exposed hand had a bluish glow on it, a reaction from evil touching a whitelighter. He released her and took a step back. He took the moment to examine his cousin closer, took in the clothes, the way her eyes seemed at least three shades darker, the flush to her cheeks, and the way power seemed to emanate from her.

"You've been vanquishing?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes," she replied, almost guilty, but the reluctant smile proved the guilt false. She carefully wiped her hand off on her pants.

"Who this time?"

"I didn't ask their names. But you should know, I had to vanquish Jason earlier…" she mumbled, embarrassed to admit it to him.

"You did what?! Lena! Jason was leading the Resistance, he was protecting hundreds of witches! He loved you! And you just – you just--!" he sputtered, unable to word exactly what she had done. He seemed so frustrated and disappointed.

Lena just stared at him for a long moment before anger flashed on her face. The three sisters watched the growing confrontation with concern, mouths open as the two level-headed witches prepared to have a shouting match.

"I vanquished Jason so I could save YOU! I did it for you!" she screamed, pushing away the memory of the look of reproach he cast on her. "I broke you out of Wyatt's prison, and this is how you thank me? I could have left you there to rot, I could have sent mom and the aunts back through the portal. I could have, and you know it! And yet there you are, so self-righteous!" Over a year's worth of anger and resentment finally made itself known to Chris, and she felt no remorse for the words she spoke.

"Lena, I'm sorry okay, but you're just so—"

"Evil?" she spat the word distastefully and stared into his green irises, waiting for confirmation of what she already knew to be truth.

"_Different_," Chris stated firmly.

"You're right, Chris," Lena responded, turning her back on him and going through one of the shelves. She seemed calmer now. "I'm not that trusting twelve-year-old who let you slice her wrist open. I'm also not the naive teenager who thought Wyatt would never do anything to hurt her.

"And I realize that you've been working your ass off for the past year, but excuse me if I don't feel too badly for you, considering you haven't been in this world. You were – well closer to _home_ than I am. I've spent the past year by myself, my best friend having turned into Wyatt's puppet, and witches and demons running from me in fright, no one trusting me, and Wyatt, always there, always watching and just waiting, _waiting _for me to slip up. As if what I've already done to prove my loyalty to him wasn't enough…"

"Just the thing with Tyler or more now?" Chris mumbled.

Lena spun on him, approaching her cousin with malice in her eyes once more. "Why did you come back here, Chris?" She shoved his chest repeatedly for emphasis as she yelled, "You said you wouldn't come back unless you were absolutely sure! Why did you risk it?! Why are you here?!"

"Lena—"

"I'm not finished yet!

"You weren't ever supposed to be here again! 'Here' was supposed to be gone! Don't you get that? Gone! Nothing I have done should have mattered!"

Chris stood silently, comprehension of what his cousin's dilemma was. Ever since he left she had given her demonic abilities and tendencies more free range, justifying it by knowing that if Chris succeeded none of it would have happened. He suddenly felt so very small, so very disappointed in himself.

"Okay you two, break it up," Piper ordered, clapping to get their attention. "I do not want to hear you two argue, all I want to hear is some ideas on how to get the **four** of us back to our time."

Lena's eyes flashed briefly, and then she murmured something under her breath.

"What was that?" Piper asked in her best mom-voice.

"Nothing, nothing," she responded, but seemed decidedly flustered. "You're right, we need to figure something—"

"Maybe the Resistance can help," Chris suggested cheerfully, hoping to see some of his old friends again.

"Chris…" Lena began carefully. "I… I hate to be the one to tell you this, but…"

"What is it?"

"After you 'disappeared,' Wyatt pretty much lost it. He stepped up the attacks on the Resistance and basically… ended the resistance. The war is over, Chris. Wyatt won. All that's left are a few rag-tag crews that are more of an annoyance than threat." That reality made her heart heavy as well. Before Chris left for the past she had assisted the Resistance as a spy for their cause. After he left it had become too dangerous for her to help them. Wyatt was paranoid, and one misstep and she might lose her life, and her only chance to stop Wyatt. She might trust Chris, but she couldn't stake all of their futures on his luck in the past, she wasn't entirely convinced that something 'turned' Wyatt when he was a child anyway.

"How…?" Chris began, feeling a sorrow build within him.

"I'm sorry," Lena whispered, pulling him into an embrace. Her power had dissipated by now, and so there were no sparks. "But, you should know—" she stopped abruptly, all of the color draining from her face and her arms dropping to her sides.

"Lena?" Chris asked. "What's happening?" A moment later, his strength faded, and Chris found himself collapsing to the floor.

"Chris! Lena!" the Charmed Ones called. Chris and Lena turned their right wrists over to display the triquetra tattoos that had begun to glow.

"He's coming," Lena hissed. Somewhere nearby Wyatt had activated the bond that held Chris, Lena, and Wyatt together. They had been unprepared, and now could not fight it. The invisible force dragged Lena by her wrist across the floor, slamming her into the Vault door. Even the power of three could not break the seal on the door, but it could sure as hell try.

"Lena! Open it!" Phoebe cried as her daughter's body repeatedly slammed into the heavy metal portal.

Piper turned to Chris in time to see his eyes roll back in his head and his body go limp.

A loud cracking sound echoed throughout the Vault as Lena's head hit the door one more time. She lay on the floor awkwardly, dazed, bursts of light dancing in her vision.

Unable to watch uselessly anymore, Phoebe ran to the door and wrenched it open. As soon as the door opened a crack, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige all disappeared in twinkling white lights and reappeared in Lena's living room completely trapped where they stood.

Standing in the center of the room sporting a very smug expression was Wyatt. He smiled at the trio amicably. "Hi there Mom, Paige, Phoebe, it's good to see you all again."

* * *

**A/N: I would love to know what you thought.**

**-Ada**


	14. Reunion

**A/N: Wow, what an awesome response on the last chapter. Thank you very much for all of your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

**Disclaimer: Refer to first chapter.**

* * *

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 14: Reunion

* * *

_"The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost." -_ G.K. Chesterton

_"Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material." -_ F. Scott Fitzgerald

* * *

Piper stood frozen to her spot on the floor, staring at her son; her _son_. The curly blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and intimidating demeanor – to think her Wyatt would grow up to be this man was unbelievable.

"Well Mom I think it's time we got to know each other a bit," Wyatt smiled, but there was no warmth in it. Paige and Phoebe were as helpless as she was, bodies trapped to the floor as they watched from across the room. He gestured his hand to shimmer just as someone came bursting into the room.

"WYATT!" Lena screamed, having recovered sufficiently to charge at him, her head throbbing and Cole helping to guide her actions.

Both acted simultaneously, as if the years of acting and deception had never occurred. In that moment they both were who they really were.

Wyatt fired an energy ball while Lena sent a fireball. The magical energies met in the middle and exploded, pushing Lena backward. Not willing to give up, she used her paternal powers and shot pure flame from her hands at her oldest cousin. Wyatt countered with a telekinetic wave. The two powers shot against each other. Lena's face was screwed up with effort, but slowly and surely Wyatt began to overpower her. Flames shot off from the impact point, setting the room ablaze. Wyatt looked like he was barely trying. He added more energy to the TK and had the fire and Lena flying. The flames caught hold of the walls, lighting everything into a blazing inferno.

"Wyatt, stop! You can't do this!" Lena shouted all pretence flying out the window at this threat to her family from the past.

"Then why don't you stop me? Come on, I'll give you a free shot," Wyatt announced holding his arms out and standing in place, the dancing flames casting a lurid glow on him, making his features seem demonic and holding even more malcontent.

Lena curled the fingers of her right hand, and then swept her left hand through the air around them. Everyone felt the temperature drop and the air stir, just waiting for her to make her move. Wyatt crinkled his forehead, unaccustomed to this particular attack and wondering just what his little cousin had in mind. Her eyes turned to a hard blue, and a second later she shot her power out at Wyatt. Air and water swirled around them and then combined and solidified, icing the entire room, putting out the fire, and freezing Wyatt.

Lena seemed apprehensive, and prepared an energy ball – just in case. A moment later, an explosion began with Wyatt at the epicenter. It knocked her backward, slamming her into the wall, her head smashing a window. Her vision swam, and darkness crowded into her vision. She was barely aware of a voice she knew quite well shouting "No!" before everything went black.

Chris dashed into the room as Lena's body fell face-first and still to the ground. Memories pounded through his mind; memories of bodies and death.

_His mother on the floor of the Conservatory, her spirit hovering above her body as she told him she loved him one last time._

_Aunt Phoebe's body within the coffin at her wake, layers of painstakingly applied make-up doing nothing to hide the look of terror and resolve that graced her once beautiful features. _

_Walking into the cavern and finding the bodies of his Aunt Paige, Prue, and Nel frozen forever in stone with identical expressions of horror on their faces._

_Alec mouthing his last words to Lena as he crumpled to the ground, the Elders watching approvingly._

_Lena crying as she told him of Tyler's body fading away._

_The countless friends and companions he had in the Resistance slain by Wyatt's forces while acting on Chris' orders._

_Bianca, impaled as blood spilled from her. _

_And now Lena, lying so still, her hair strewn about around her head._

"NO!" he screamed, sending a shaft of telekinetic energy at his brother. Wyatt seemed startled, and almost was hit. He steadied himself and grabbed his brother by the neck with TK, slamming his already abused body into the doorway and then releasing him to fall head-first to lie beside Lena.

"Chris! Lena!" Phoebe and Paige cried. Now the three Charmed Ones from the past were alone with Wyatt.

"Those two never could compete with me," Wyatt shrugged, turning his attention back to Piper. "Now I have something very special planned for you, mother," Wyatt smiled. A moment later he and Piper had shimmered from the room and Paige and Phoebe were free to move about again.

They immediately went to the two young people sprawled in the corner.

* * *

They were in Lena's living room, unable to enter the Vault as it only responded to her touch. Chris sat upright on the couch, the first of the future Halliwells to wake up, and he held Lena close to him, afraid for her safety because of the danger he and the Halliwells from the past had pulled her in to. He had always wanted to protect her, even if it meant hurting her – like it did when he agreed that she should remain with Wyatt before she truly understood what it meant.

"Where would he take Piper?" Paige asked for about the millionth time. As usual, she did not receive an answer. Everyone felt weighed down with guilt, and none knew exactly what to do.

"Why did you come here?" Chris asked finally, pushing a stray lock of raven hair from Lena's forehead.

"To save you," Phoebe sighed. "We couldn't just leave you here."

"But apparently we should have planned better, because it all blew up in our faces," Paige admitted.

"It could have been a lot worse if Lena didn't find you," Chris informed them. At least this way they hadn't been vanquished when they appeared in the Manor.

"You're looking much better," Phoebe observed. He had changed into some spare clothes of his that Lena kept in the house, and before he did, Phoebe checked his wounds, which were nearly completely healed.

"The Kalos healing salve stuff, it works wonders," Chris smiled. "I just wish we had one to awaken the unconscious," he added, nodding at his cousin. "Once she's up we can try some Power of Four stuff to locate mom."

"You don't think he'd hurt her, do you?" Phoebe asked, suddenly afraid.

"No, Wyatt loves mom. But I do wish I knew what he wanted. Why would he only take her, and yet leave you two and me here? It doesn't make any sense."

They sat in silence for another moment as Chris felt Lena breathing, that simple act reassuring him. "You really care about her, don't you?" Paige asked, catching the look of familial love he cast on her.

"Well growing up with the Charmed Ones as your example of family… She's been a great friend for years, and I know she can take care of herself, but when I saw her crash to the floor like that – I just don't think I could handle losing her too."

"So why did she join Wyatt and not you?" Phoebe asked, wondering if the same idea of self-sacrifice in her that had once made a deal with the Source ended up in her daughter as well. She remembered Lena saying that she was evil and felt a cold shiver run up and down her spine. She knew what that overwhelming power and malice felt like all too well. Lena had told them a clearly abridged version of what happened, but she wanted to hear it from Chris, wanted to know for sure what exactly happened.

"Well it's a long story… I'll give you the short version. She originally made a deal with Wyatt, that if she joined him, he wouldn't hurt me, Tyler, or her father. Once he broke that promise she left, but after her father's murder he coerced her into joining again. Before I got away from Wyatt, we decided that she should stay in his organization. We were both worried that if she tried to stand in his way, he would kill her. We thought her joining would keep her safe – stupid, really stupid. We always trusted Wyatt too much," Chris scowled.

Phoebe studied her daughter's unconscious form, and then noticed the amulet that hung around her neck. Circular and embedded with a scarlet stone, it caught the light from the illusion windows and sent a prism of refracted beauty onto the wall.

"What's that?" Phoebe asked, reaching for it.

"Oh, that was Tyler's amulet, a witch gave it to him – a protection amulet. It redirects attacks on loved ones to the person wearing it," Chris responded vaguely.

"Who's Tyler again?" Paige asked quickly, realizing that Chris was suddenly answering all of their questions rather than deflecting them with his 'future consequences' mantra.

"Her whitelighter/boyfriend," Chris answered, her tone showing his disapproval.

"She's dating her Whitelighter?!" Paige demanded.

Chris paused. "Was. He's dead." Tyler had been a great friend to him for so long, and even convinced the Resistance that a Halliwell was worth saving from Wyatt. To remember that he had been murdered… just one more person on an ever-growing list.

"Oh my God, Wyatt killed him," Phoebe gasped, remembering Lena yelling about how Wyatt had killed her boyfriend.

"Yeah, let me just explain."

* * *

2023

_Wyatt had thoroughly solidified his power, killed the Elders, and built his castle. He was now seeking to disseminate his supporters from enemies, and two people kept coming to mind – his only remaining relatives – Chris and Lena. Chris staunchly refused Wyatt's requests that he join, blabbering on about good and evil and how much their mother would disapprove of his actions. Even when he had held him in the skyscraper for almost a year he had never broken down and assisted Wyatt. Lena on the other hand never left him after her father's death, and she stood by his side. Her demonic powers had grown immensely, even though Wyatt could not see how she had made it happen. After her act of betrayal in assisting Chris in his escape, he began to wonder if she really were loyal, or if she were hoping to take him down from the inside. _

_Paranoid? Maybe._

_But he knew the perfect way to test her loyalty to him. The Charmed Ones had always done everything they could to protect those around them, but he would force his little cousin to stand idly by and watch._

_Lena's Whitelighter, Tyler, had become an increasingly annoying problem. He was against Wyatt's empire and had been trying to spread dissent among the magical community. That would not be tolerated. Wyatt also knew that Tyler was involved in a romantic relationship with Lena, and that he helped Chris escape. He need to be made an example of._

_Knowing that his henchman were in place, Wyatt magically summoned Tyler to him, watching the blue lights coalesce into the form of an angel trapped forever in a twenty-one year old body. He had dark brown hair, cropped short and spiked, a bristle of facial hair on his chin, he was moderately handsome, and looked apprehensive about being dragged by Wyatt. _

_"What do you want, Wyatt?" he asked, cursing his stupidity for leaving the cloaked Resistance Headquarters to recruit more witches._

_"I'm concerned about your relationship with my cousin," Wyatt began, placing a hand on Tyler's shoulder as if speaking to his best friend. Tyler stiffened and pulled away._

_"This is about Lena?" he asked in disbelief._

_"Why, Ty, what did you think it was about?" Wyatt laughed, Tyler watching him with suspicious eyes. "You see, Lena is much too fragile right now. And the last thing she needs is you trying to turn her against her family."_

_"Family? What, you? Lena's true to her mother, her aunts, her other cousin," Tyler protested with spite. Wyatt only chuckled._

_"Oh Ty, you have quite a mouth on you. But I don't see that as being much of a problem anymore."_

_"Why?" Tyler questioned, eyes darting to and fro. Deciding he did not like Wyatt's tone nor the gleeful look in his eyes, he began to orb out. He made it as far as the ceiling before he hit a magical barrier and crashed back to the floor as he reformed. _

_"You think I would let you go that easily? Amusing, very amusing," Wyatt stated. "Well, I would love to chat some more, but I have an Empire to build." He stared at the defiant Whitelighter, and then commanded his hidden goons, "Fire!" _

_Eight Darklighter arrows soared through the air of Wyatt's Great Room, each hitting their intended target. Tyler's eyes bulged in surprise, and he dropped to his knees, gasping and sweating. Blood poured from each wound, spreading crimson stains onto the marble floor. Wyatt stepped back when it seemed that the blood might touch him._

_"Lena! Oooooh, Lena!" Wyatt called, tapping into their Charmed Ones bind to get her attention. A moment later he sensed the sizzle of her magical aura as she shimmered in beside him._

_"Yeah, Wya—?" she stopped abruptly as she saw Tyler sprawled dying on the white floor. "Tyler!" she shouted, jumping forward towards him. _

_"Stop!" Wyatt ordered, and she obeyed instinctively, her arm still outstretched towards her friend._

_"But Wyatt, he's—"_

_"He's my enemy, and therefore yours as well. He is being killed for his efforts to destroy me, and I thought you should be here to watch."_

_She turned tear and rage filled eyes at Wyatt, and for a moment he thought she would show her true colors and refuse to just stand by and watch as his life slipped away. "Have I done something?" she questioned, her voice barely above a whisper._

_"This isn't a punishment for you," Wyatt answered, his voice uncharacteristically soft. He knew how hard it could be to watch someone he cared about die, but it had been so long since he had cared that much about anyone other than family… "This is a test, a test of your loyalty. You have to choose Lena, it's his side or mine. Which will it be?"_

_Her jaw tight and a lump in her throat, Lena responded in action rather than words. Her mind flew with what she should do, and Chris' voice returned to full strength in her mind. 'I think that… Being at his side – that's the safest you can be. The one of us who defies him… he's going to do every terrible thing he can think of to break us, and… I can't let that happen to you. I think that joining him… it's the best thing for you Lena.' She swallowed hard, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she stepped back from Tyler._

_('I'm sorry,') Lena sent her thoughts to Tyler through telepathy on a band only he could listen in on._

_('It's okay… you have to, don't worry about it,') Tyler responded back, even his mental voice sounding strained and weak as he fought off the poison invading his system._

_('I don't want you to die!')_

_('I knew I would, Lena, it's not your fault, woulda happened anyway.) _

_('Stay safe,') he added as his hazel eyes closed and his body went limp._

_It took every bit of strength Lena possessed to not react; to not scream, or run to him, or tell him how much she loved him; to just stand there and wait for him to die._

_Wyatt placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Lena wondered how he could even do such a thing, when she wanted nothing more than to set him on fire and watch him burn to death. _

_Tears spilled silently down her cheeks and she stared at Tyler as his body slowly faded away, disappearing forever. The amulet Tyler always wore remained, hitting the ground with a thunk once his body was gone. _

_"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Wyatt whispered into her ear, feeling triumphant that she had passed his test, and at least one of the two Halliwells had chosen him over the ridiculous Resistance. _

_Wyatt walked forward and picked up the amulet, holding it up to the light and staring at the inscription. He walked up to Lena, who appeared frozen to her spot on the floor, and stepped behind her. Placing the amulet on her neck, he tied the cord in the back. "Something to remember him by," he explained, letting it fall onto her skin. She stared down at it, mentally cursing herself for what she just let happen._

* * *

"So she just watched him die?" Paige asked, she looked both horrified and deeply offended. "Why didn't she do anything? How could she just—"

"It's hard for you to understand, you weren't here for all that went on, but… I don't know how she did it; I don't know how she kept it together. Len's always had an awful temper, especially when someone she cares about is threatened." He sent a pointed look at Phoebe, remembering her destroying every demon she could find during the Witch Wars confrontation, taunting the demons to come and get her. "It makes me wonder what might've happened before then… I don't know," his voice trailed off. "I never should have left her behind…"

"So why are you suddenly answering all of our questions, future-consequences-boy?" Paige asked, wishing that every conversation they had in this time did not have to end sadly, and knowing it would be futile to tell Chris that he didn't have a choice, that none of this was his fault.

"Well you're here now, and there are things you need to know to be able to understand what's going on," he shrugged. "Besides, this is all stuff that shouldn't have happened, it was supposed to have changed…" he whispered thinking of Lena's anger and accusations.

He felt Lena shift in his arms and knew she was coming to. Phoebe kneeled in front of them immediately, smoothing Lena's hair and asking her to wake up. "Come on, sweetie, it's time to get up," she said gently.

"Ten more minutes…" Lena muttered sleepily. "I'll have… Chris orb me to school… he owes me," she added, pushing Phoebe's hand away.

"Hey brat, wake up," Chris urged, playfully tickling her stomach. A sudden blast of air sent his hand flying backward, and Lena opened her eyes angrily.

It took her a moment to register where she was and what was going on. "Brat?" she asked Chris, sitting up and putting a hand to her aching head. "As if! I was always an angel."

"Too bad you don't have the orbing power to prove it," Chris laughed.

"Oh shut up. Okay, apparently I've been unconscious. So what happened? Where's Wyatt? And… oh no, where's Aunt Piper?!"

They filled her in on what happened after she was knocked out, and began brainstorming what they could do to save Piper.

"I hope that Leo's doing okay with Wyatt. They could both be in danger right now," Paige added as Lena leaned back, thinking of what Wyatt would have done with Piper. "Gideon will probably help out if it gets to be too much."

"Who's Gideon?" Lena questioned, looking between the three faces in the room. It seemed her brief stint in unconsciousness had made her much more rational.

"Leo's mentor, he's an Elder. He created and runs Magic School," Paige explained with a little pride.

"What? Chris, you went to Magic School too, do you remember a Gideon?" Lena asked her forehead creased. As a telepath she had near photographic memory, and nowhere did she remember a man named Gideon.

Chris frowned for a moment as he thought back. "Now that you mention it… no, I don't."

"But he's an Elder, it's not like he would just disappear. And why would he leave Magic School…" Lena questioned.

"Oh my God!" Phoebe shouted, connections finally flying in her mind. They all looked at her in apprehension. "Remember how I was looking into allies attacking Wyatt during that whole Witch Wars thing?" Chris and Paige nodded. "Well Gideon was pretty adamant about that being a waste of time – but why should he care if it could protect good magic, right?" The others began to catch on. "And if he's not even in the future, isn't it just slightly possible that he's the one after Wyatt? Maybe he tries to kill him and just manages to traumatize him into turning or something."

Chris' eyes widened as what she said sunk in. "You're right! How could I have not noticed that?! Dammit, how are we going to warn Dad?"

"Clearly we need to get you back to the past as soon as possible," Lena said. "But we're going to need Aunt Piper."

"She's right, the sooner we rescue Piper, the sooner we save Wyatt," Paige declared.

"She has to be at the Castle. Wyatt would want to keep a close eye on her, and keep us from getting to her," Lena explained.

"The Castle? Where's that?"

"Alcatraz Island," Lena responded, rolling her eyes. "But he must have some reason for keeping her there." They all thought for another moment, before Lena stared hard at Chris. "You don't think…?"

"What?" Chris asked.

"Well, Piper's seven months pregnant… with you. Do you think Wyatt wants to do something to, you know, little you?"

"Oh my God," Phoebe breathed.

"But he wouldn't, would he?" Paige protested. "I mean, you're his brother."

"Mind-link spell?" Chris suggested, ignoring his aunts. "He reinitiated the bond, so it'll be his own fault."

"Yeah. I'll get the book."

"Book? What book? The Book of Shadows?" Paige sputtered, feeling as if from the moment Chris woke up the first time Phoebe and her had been pushed aside, forced to watch the happenings inside the little world Chris and Lena lived in without actually being there.

"Not even close. We liked to call it "The Book of Personal Gain," when we were kids. We wrote all kinds of spells and used them on ourselves and each other. It had a magic seal on it so only the three of us could read it. Lena started writing down other types of spells after a while, useful stuff from the Book of Shadows. Lena also has her father's family's book, but it's kind of weird."

"Got it!" Lena announced, holding a leather bound journal open and walking over to her cousin. "Here we go."

They sat side-by-side reading aloud together.

"Life to life and mind to mind,

Our spirits now will intertwine,

We meld our souls and journey to,

The one whose thoughts we wish we knew"

"Do you think this will actually work?" Phoebe whispered to Paige.

"We can only hope."

Chris and Lena had their eyes closed as their minds sought connection to Wyatt's. The spell itself was risky, because it not only let them into his mind, but opened their minds to him as well. But when it came to Piper, especially the one from the past, they would make the sacrifice.

("I wondered when you two would show up,") Wyatt announced as their minds linked.

("Where are you Wyatt? What are you doing with Mom?") Chris asked, trying to remain calm, trying to prevent Wyatt from taking advantage of the spell they had initiated.

("Oh okay Chris, since you asked why don't I just tell you?!") Wyatt said sarcastically. ("Do you really think I'm that stupid?")

("Come on Wyatt, this is Mom. Mom from the past! You can't do anything to her that'll screw up our futures any worse than they have been.")

("I'm sorry, but who invited her here in the first place? I believe it's your fault that she's here. And as for changing the future, you began that trend as well.")

("So what, you're holding her hostage? If that's what it is, then fine, I'll go with you, whatever.")

("I don't trust you Chris, so your word means absolutely nothing to me.") Wyatt paused, suddenly realizing that one member of their party had been silent. ("Lena? Why are you so quiet?")

He was too late, she had used her superior telepathic skill to bypass the barriers in his mind and see into his thoughts. Wyatt sensed her reading his plans straight out of his head, and forced the pair from him.

The connection broke abruptly and left Chris and Lena with pounding headaches. "What happened? What did you see?"

All eyes turned to Lena. "He's not going to hurt her," she said tentatively. "He's planning on holding her in the castle until she has the baby…" she trailed off uncertainly as she reviewed what she had gleaned from his mind. "Then he plans to have one of his demons 'turn' the baby."

"I thought he didn't believe in good and evil?" Chris snorted, trying not to seem edgy at the prospect of his baby self being turned evil.

"Either way, we have to get her out of there," Phoebe sighed. "Any ideas?"

"We'll need some potions to get past the demon guards. We won't be able to use our powers since Wyatt has the whole place blocked so only **evil** magic will work—" he stopped when he felt Lena's eyes boring into him.

"Okay, why don't you and Paige work on those? I'll take mom to the seer pool; try and get some premonitions," Lena suggested, rising before anyone agreed to it. Phoebe followed Lena out of the room, casting a nervous glance back at Chris and Paige as she did so.

* * *

**A/N: Aw, poor Tyler. I always liked him. I'm actually thinking of putting all of these flashbacks together in order and fleshing out the missing pieces as a different story, sort of just a history of that time period.**

**But anyway - finally Phoebe realizes that Gideon might not be the helpful Elder they all believed him to be. But now with Piper in Wyatt's hands, it's going to be that much harder to get them home.**

**Please review!**

**'Till next time,**

**Ada**


	15. Past Revealed

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 15: Past Revealed

* * *

_"What have I become  
My sweetest friend  
Everyone I know goes away  
In the end  
And you could have it all  
My empire of dirt  
I will let you down  
I will make you hurt  
If I could start again  
A million miles away  
I would keep myself  
I would find a way"_

"Hurt" - Johnny Cash

* * *

**2025**

_Chris walked into the dank marble walled mausoleum, his feet making barely a sound as he kept his senses alert. A shadow in the corner told him that she was already there, and he sagged slightly as he turned to see her._

_"I was afraid you weren't going to come," Lena whispered, standing up from where she had been leaning against an old decaying monument. _

_"I still think it's dangerous, but I had to see you one last time," Chris responded. She shifted from the dark shadow of the Mausoleum, and Chris stared at his cousin silently; studying her. She had lost quite a bit of weight, dark circles ringed her eyes and they were slightly puffy, as if she had been crying. He realized that she had un-glamoured herself so he could see her real appearance; could see the toll the last few years had taken on her. The plain black ensemble she wore stood out starkly from her too white skin – too much time in the Underworld had done that, ever since Chris could remember she had always had a rich tan – and her black hair hung limply around her face. She reminded him of the Angel of Death, and he tried to push that disturbing image from his mind._

_She hugged him almost desperately, and Chris tried to commit her to his memory; her image, her scent, her touch… _

_Because soon he would be going back, and he would never see her again. _

_Hopefully he would return to his time to find a willful, resilient, healthy, happy, and good witch in his deteriorated cousin's place. It would be a good different, but she would still not be the same person. He knew it was selfish that he wished he could come back and have her there; this version of her; the only person who ever understood what he went through, and what the torture of Wyatt's turning really meant. _

_Other people looked at Wyatt and saw a monster, Chris and Lena looked at him and saw what he had been, a kind boy who was haunted by his own inner demons; demons who had seemingly all but vanquished him. It had been so hard to explain to his friends and the Resistance that he knew exactly what Wyatt was, but he still loved him and could never hurt him._

_But now he had a plan that just might work, it just meant giving up everything he knew._

_"I wish you could come with me," Chris murmured, holding her close._

_"If we both disappear he'll be suspicious, and he'll figure out where we've gone. It's safer this way," she explained, pulling away from him so she could look at him. She threaded her fingers through his and they sat down on the mausoleum floor._

_"Couldn't you at least go into hiding? Take over the Resistance for me or something?" Chris asked hopefully, not wanting to leave her to Wyatt's mercy – or lack thereof._

_Lena shook her head dismally. "If I left him now – he would lose it. He'd kill everyone in between us and then probably me as well. The only reason the Resistance is still alive is because he thinks you're just getting out your rebelliousness and that you're going to 'see the error of your ways' eventually. I can't cost them their lives."_

_"But Lena…"_

_"You and I both know that I can't go back now. I've killed too many people, done too many horrible things…"_

_"I'm going to change this, I swear it," Chris said, his voice heavy with emotion. He locked eyes with Lena, hers teary and his determined. _

_"I hope you do Chris, because I don't want this anymore. It was never supposed to be like this. _

"_I tried to see what would happen, but I can't. You will get to the past safely, but anything past that… it's too obscure," Lena finished._

_"I'm amazed you could see that much," Chris said. "Are you sure you'll be able to lift the spell on the Book?" he questioned, going over the plan once more in his mind._

"_Yes," she answered without a moment's hesitation._

"_What will happen if he catches you?" he pressed._

"_I'm not going to let him catch me."_

"_Lena…"_

"_He won't kill me, Chris. Not for that. He'll just be angry, probably hurt me, but that's all. Even if he does kill me though… as long as you succeed it'll be worth it."_

_Not wanting to discuss the logistics again, Lena leaned her head against his shoulder, entwining both of their hands._

_"Sitting with you like this… it reminds me of when we were kids. It feels like home," Lena sighed. "And if I close my eyes, it's like I'm back at the vineyard, with mom and dad laughing, and Aunt Paige, Uncle Mark, Aunt Piper, and Uncle Leo would be there, with the girls playing; you, me, and Wyatt happy…"_

_"Or how about a family dinner at the Manor?" Chris suggested. "The whole family gathered around the table filled with more than enough food for a small country. We would play 'orb and seek' before dinner and then after dinner Wyatt would do that thing with his orb lights, make them dance and sparkle." _

_They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, until Chris felt Lena trembling, her shoulders shaking violently. A sob echoed throughout the mausoleum as she gave way to tears. "Chris," she cried, turning so she could bury her face in his chest. He put his arms around her, and once more held her close to him. _

_And so the two cousins dissolved into tears. They collapsed into each other, sobbing and grasping each other desperately. They cried for their last moments together, for the life they lost, for the pain they had been through, and for the knowledge that everything might end soon. _

* * *

**2027**

"Who were you talking to?" Piper questioned. She stared at Wyatt with an unwavering glance as she sat up in the four poster bed Wyatt had shimmered her to earlier. The windows of the large room had heavy curtains on them, obscuring whatever view she might have been able to see. There were comfortable chairs and a table in the corner, along with a large bureau. It seemed to be a pleasant guest room, and as much as that reassured Piper it also made her nervous, wondering why he had taken her.

"Lena and Chris, they wanted to save you," Wyatt laughed, sitting in the armchair across from the bed and laughing.

"You won't succeed in whatever you're planning, Wyatt! Chris will find a way to stop you!"

"You think you know him, don't you?" Wyatt smiled deviously. There was a disturbing twinkle in his eyes and Piper knew she didn't want to hear whatever he was planning to say.

"I do know him. He won't give up. He's smart and he's strong, and he will stop you," Piper hissed defiantly.

"Let me guess, the Chris you've come to know was a cocky, self-assured, self-righteous, pompous, arrogant witchlighter, right?" Wyatt described. Piper's glare was answer enough, so he plowed on. "However, dear mother," he began, standing and leaning on the bed, his face just above Piper's. "You haven't seen the fear in his eyes that I have instilled, you have not heard his voice falter as he tries to lecture me in between beatings, you have never seen him broken and crying out for death. The Chris you know is a façade, an illusion. I know who he really is, and that is why I know he will never succeed."

"You bastard!" Piper roared, pushing away his voice that spoke such horrible things while dripping with sadistic pleasure.

"Now unless there's something you haven't told me about my conception, I would think that I am not the bastard. Chris on the other hand…" Wyatt said with a barking laugh. "Oh, and if you're waiting for Lena to rush in and rescue you, then think again. The first time she betrayed me I punished her so severely that she could not even lift her little finger for a week afterwards, the second time the price was much higher.

"You see, mother, they seem defiant and strong to you, but they fear me because they know what I can do to them. Everyone has a point where pain immobilizes them, and I know easily how to subdue Chris and Lena."

"You unfeeling jackass, they're your family!" Piper shouted. She winced suddenly, clutching where her belly protruding to house her unborn baby.

"Tsk tsk mother," Wyatt sighed. "You need to work on keeping your stress level down, wouldn't want anything to happen to baby Chris now would you?"

Piper sent a cold look at Wyatt, scared beyond her worst nightmares of what fate could be awaiting her baby, both the small and older version. "I'll send someone in to help you," Wyatt added, turning and striding out of the room.

A few minutes later, a sixty-year-old white-haired woman entered the room, a bag hanging from one shoulder. She smiled at Piper, and Piper could read the pain in her eyes. "Mrs. Halliwell," she began in an apologetic tone. "I certainly never dreamed I would meet you."

"Who are you?" Piper demanded.

"I'm Edith, I am, or was, a whitelighter," she said vaguely, settling into the armchair. "Are you feeling alright? Wyatt said you were in pain," she whispered tenderly.

"Why are you working for him?" Piper demanded quietly.

"Because I can't leave," she answered dejectedly. She showed Piper her wrist, where a metal bracelet had been fastened. "He restricted my powers, only allowing me to heal. Wyatt has no great love for whitelighters, but he's kept a few of us around in case of emergency."

"How did you end up here, did he trick you, capture you, what?" Piper pressed, needing to hear the words from Edith's mouth and know once more what a tyrant her son had become.

"I came to him in 2021, before he became the Source. It was a foolish decision, and I knew it at the time, I just did not think he could be as… devious as he was… but I thought that if I could… appeal to his better nature, then I could save my charge from a life of pain. He trapped me and I couldn't even let anyone know where I was, let alone escape," she responded truthfully and sadly.

"Who was your charge?" Piper asked, believing every word the woman spoke and not knowing exactly why.

"Your son, Christopher."

* * *

Phoebe walked three paces behind Lena as she led her into the basement. The girl seemed increasingly flustered, and Phoebe heard her whispering under her breath, almost as if she were having a conversation with someone. She walked through a doorway, blue light surrounding the room's interior. Candles flamed immediately as she entered, and Phoebe followed curiously, her eyes drawn to the seer's pool and the wall of potions marked with different uses. 

Lena nabbed two different potions off of the shelf, passing one to Phoebe while uncorking the other. "What're these for?" Phoebe questioned as she sniffed the liquid within.

"Seer strengthening potions. Mine allows me to see the past, yours to see the future."

"But I thought we were supposed to be getting premonitions about Piper," Phoebe pointed out, wondering just what Lena had in mind.

"We will, but first, we need to find out if we're right about Gideon, wouldn't you agree?" Lena proposed.

"You're right, good idea. Okay," she downed the potion as Lena did, and then followed the girl's directions to stand opposite her at the edge of the seer pool.

Just grab my hands," Lena instructed, her palms hovering upward over the grayish contents of the pool. Phoebe held onto her, and the two instinctively closed their eyes and concentrated on what they wanted to know.

Magic swirled within them, images, sounds, emotions and thoughts rushing past their closed eyes as their minds touched and their power mixed and twirled, becoming stronger and nearly palpable. It suddenly reached a climax; tingling their senses as they lost sight of where Phoebe ended and Lena began; they were one force, one seer in two bodies, and one mind that searched for the truth long since hidden away.

The seer's pool began to glow and bubble, the clasped hands above it shaking and holding each other tighter. Behind them, the spirit of Phoebe Halliwell from that time appeared, ethereal, she had been called by the connection. Smiling, she stepped up to the circle, placing her transparent hands on top of the others. Lights ignited around them, revealing the various deceased Halliwells with the power of premonition, brought together by the magical force and by the need to fix what had gone wrong. They joined the unknowing pair by the pool, offering up their powers to help.

As the powers gathered and reached their ultimate strength, Lena and Phoebe were pulled into a vision.

**Standing side-by-side within the premonition, Lena and Phoebe clutched each other's hand as they watched the scene before them unfold.**

**Within a cavern of the Underworld, young Wyatt stood trapped within a crystal cage, watching Gideon, who circled him like a predator, with uncertain eyes. Clutched in Gideon's hand, the athame glowed and flexed with the many powers bestowed upon it; blessing upon blessing, curse upon curse. **

**"It will surely kill you this time," Gideon muttered. "It has to, after the weeks we've been down here, your family is sure to find you soon – if they're even looking, perhaps they've decided the new baby is a replacement."**

**The two psychics present in mind only felt the fear and hatred that had seeded in Gideon's heart, leading to him undertaking this devious task. Stronger than his emotions churned those of the two year old boy trapped at the madman's mercy; fear, sorrow, betrayal, anger, and helplessness – emotions that a two-year-old should never feel all festered beneath the surface of his mind.**

**Gideon launched what must have been the last of numerous death attempts on Wyatt, stabbing the athame through the crystal cage with a barbarous lunge at the child. It seemed about to pierce the child's flesh, but something strange happened. The crystals at Wyatt's feet shook and exploded, releasing the cage. Then, the athame's blade warped and curved away from him, a bright yellow light exuding from Wyatt. It thrust the athame back at Gideon, stabbing the man with his own magically altered weapon, and throwing him into the air. The light surrounded the Elder, burning him as he screeched in pain. The raw intensity of Wyatt's powers ate away at Gideon, rendering him nothing more than a pile of ash on the Underworld's rocky soil. **

**Wyatt stared around him, completely bewildered. In the moment that he vanquished Gideon, something within the child forever changed, Phoebe and Lena felt it happen. Harnessing his limitless power, Wyatt orbed himself from the Underworld and back into his home at the Manor, never revealing what happened that day.**

As the vision faded, Lena and Phoebe found themselves back in the basement, arms still outstretched over the basin. As Lena blinked to clear her sight, she felt tears prickling her eyes. Before she could speak, she sensed magic and people surrounding them. Turning, she took in the image of Halliwell ghosts surrounding them. Phoebe seemed as surprised as Lena, staring at each face in turn. Then Lena spun to her right side where she sensed someone she had lost long ago.

"Mom?" she asked, the tears falling as she saw her long-dead mother standing beside her.

"Hi baby," the ghost whispered, placing a transparent hand on her cheek.

"I don't understand, how are you here?" Her voice was soft, childlike, the strong façade she had been maintaining crumbling.

"We've spent years working on crossing over without magical aid, and without the Elders to provide barriers we were finally able to make it to the underworld. But more than anything, your power brought me here," she explained. She took a moment to smile at her past counterpart before training her gaze solely on Lena. "You've seen what you needed to; the moment when destiny was sent off course, and changed for the worse. There are two tasks that must be completed, but you know this already. Fate is moving rapidly on the parallel lines created to solve this problem, only one of the two plans must work, but if both do then everything can be set back on course.

"Cole has trained you well, Lena. Leo has finally seen the truth. Bianca has accepted her role in all of this. And Chris is nearly ready to complete his mission. I only hope that you all succeed."

"I… I…" Lena began, words failing her. Phoebe looked on silently as mother and daughter spoke for the first time in eight years; a lifetime to someone as young as Lena. "I miss you," she finally choked up, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

"I know baby, I know," Phoebe said tenderly. "And I want you to know, that I'm proud of you, okay? And I love you so much."

"Even after everything I—"

"Even after everything, Lena, I will always love you. I need you to be strong when the time comes, all right? Can you do that for me?"

Lena nodded, transfixed by the woman's gaze. "Do you have to leave?" she asked as the other Halliwells disappeared behind her.

"Yes, and soon. Good luck," she said. Then she shifted to look at her younger version. "You look after my little girl for me, okay? And don't worry, you'll find everything you're looking for," she added. Her hand became opaque for a moment as she caressed Lena's cheek. "Lena, I love you sweetie, goodbye."

* * *

"You were Chris' whitelighter?" Piper asked, watching the woman intently. 

"Yes. He was assigned to me after his mother's death," she explained. Edith had been a prisoner of Wyatt – no, a servant of his – for so long without contact with the outside world. She had run into Lena briefly, but as she had never met the girl, the young witch had not really noticed her. She had been surrounded by demons, and the one other whitelighter trapped there, and after a year she hadn't really been much for conversation. Having someone to talk to; even someone from the past felt good.

"You're from 2004, right?" Edith asked. Piper nodded. "That was a beautiful year," she sighed. "I didn't lose a single charge in 2004. Sadly, I can't say the same for 2021."

"You could still feel your charges, even after being trapped here?"

"Even worse, as the numbers of whitelighters dwindled I began to feel all of the unguarded witches. So many have died… The years leading up to Wyatt's coronation were marked by the deaths of many powerful witches, and when he took over everything, witches all had to make a choice: join Wyatt, die, or go into hiding." She paused for a moment and then spoke again, "Does my talking about this bother you?"

"No, not at all. Actually, I would like it if you would tell me more about all of this. When I get out of here, I'm going to make damn sure none of this ever happens."

"Make sure Chris never suppresses his powers this time around. He could have been so powerful." Her voice sounded wistful.

"He suppressed his powers?" Piper asked, horrified.

"All of the ones to develop after your death. I tried to talk him out of it, and as far as I know so did his family, but he refused. It was a shame though, considering dealing with Wyatt would not have been quite as difficult if he had them."

"Wyatt hurt him, badly, didn't he?" Piper questioned, unsure if she really wanted to hear the answer, but knowing for his sake she needed to know.

"He was in Wyatt's headquarters for a year," Edith began uncertainly. "He thought that Chris would eventually cave and join his ranks. He restricted his powers to make him helpless as far as magic was concerned and kept him locked up in one of the apartments in the old headquarters. He had lost just about everything at this point," she added, remembering the story that she had heard from others so many times. "Phoebe had died years before, and then Alec was murdered by the Elders."

"Alec?" Piper asked.

"Phoebe's husband," Edith explained, not really noticing or caring that she was giving away too much future information. Piper nodded, Lena had just continually referred to him as her dad, not by a name.

"Wyatt was the Source, and Lena had joined his ranks. That poor boy was all alone. If there was ever a time it seemed he would turn, that would have been it. But he held his ground, despite Wyatt's impatience and his means. Wyatt forced him along to meetings, keeping him in place like a dog rather than his brother. He tried to make him kill but he couldn't. And eventually he moved him down to the dungeons, thinking that maybe pain and suffering would make him give up. If anything it strengthened his resolve, and Wyatt seemed out of ideas. Then Chris escaped. He had made an unlikely friend in Wyatt's top assassin, Bianca. She made contact with the Resistance who included Chris' friend Tyler, and together with Lena they hatched a plan to get him away. It worked, and Chris has been fighting and evading Wyatt's forces ever since. Of course over a year ago he disappeared from Wyatt's radar, I only discovered recently that he had gone back to 2004. But you know that of course."

* * *

"You doing okay Chris?" Paige asked, stirring a bubbling cauldron and glancing at Chris out of the corner of her eye. 

"Yeah fine," he answered too quickly, chopping at some wolfsbane a little too forcefully.

"It must be pretty overwhelming, come back to this when you thought it was all over," Paige pointed out, taking the remains of the plant from him before he completely crushed it and adding it to the potion.

"Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, since when has anything been as easy as that Witch Wars thing, right?" he sighed, taking the spoon from her and stirring counterclockwise.

"It's going to be okay, Chris. We'll figure out a way to fix this, we always do."

"Not in my world you don't," Chris muttered under his breath.

"What was that remark for?" Paige asked, miffed, as she added more ingredients to the potion they were jointly working on.

"Just that in my lifetime, you, Phoebe, and Piper all died, so it's a little hard for me to be reassured by that. In my world power isn't what really matters, it's cunning and stealth and reacting exactly right at every turn. My world is a complete disaster."

"Chris, hey," Paige said, stopping the hand that vigorously stirred the potion and forcing him to face her. "We're going to fix this, okay? I know to you, in this place, that doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot, but just remember everything we've done in the past year alright? We're going back to 2004, all four of us. And no one, not even Wyatt, is going to stop us. Got it?"

Chris nodded in response, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.

"Besides, Wyatt never faced off against the Charmed Ones. Twice-Blessed or not, I think he'll find himself lacking against the people who wiped his butt and took embarrassing baby photos of him. So positive thoughts only, okay?"

"Okay," Chris answered with a smirk. "But do you think I could my hands on some of those photos? You know, for when the future changes and he's just an older brother that I want to humiliate."

"Of course. Anything for my favorite youngest nephew!"

* * *

**A/N: I would love to know what you thought!**

**-Ada**


	16. Hold On

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter.**

* * *

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

_Chapter 16: Hold on_

* * *

_How I wish I could walk through the doors of my mind;  
Hold memory close at hand,  
Help me understand the years.  
How I wish I could choose between Heaven and Hell.  
How I wish I would save my soul.  
I'm so cold from fear._

- James Blunt "Tears and Rain"

* * *

"Chris!" Lena called, her voice wavering as she stared at her cousin through tearing eyes. He approached her quickly as they met in the parlor of her conjured house.

"Lena, what is it? What did you see?" he asked rapidly. When no answer seemed forthcoming, he turned to Phoebe, who merely shook her head and stared at the floor.

"I saw how Gideon…" she paused, trying to block out what her mother had said and focus on the premonition. "I saw Gideon trying to kill baby Wyatt, he said he'd been at it for a while. And then Wyatt vanquished him."

"He killed an Elder when he was only two years old?" Chris demanded in surprise. Lena nodded. "God we are so screwed."

"Remember when our parents told us about the Angel of Destiny?" Lena asked suddenly, changing the subject completely.

"Uh… yeah, why does that matter now?" Chris questioned, Paige regarding them quizzically.

"It's something mom said before… no matter what we do, we each have a destiny. For our parents it was to vanquish the Source, and for Wyatt it was to become the greatest force of good that ever existed."

"Clearly that didn't happen," Paige snorted.

"Right, because someone who should have known better sent destiny off track. A demon couldn't have pulled this off, it was an Elder. Elders know all about destiny and not interfering, and because Gideon did, everything was changed," Lena explained, once again sounding much older than a twenty-year-old.

"So then Chris traveling back in time was to put everything back to the way it should be," Phoebe jumped in.

"Exactly. Destiny is trying to fix itself. That's why Chris and I have ended up where we are," Lena continued, Cole mentally assisting her in collecting her thoughts. "There are two tasks to be completed."

"One is to fix the past and stop Gideon from changing destiny," Chris offered, knowing that part but not the other Lena had been alluding too.

"And the other one would be?" Paige asked.

"To dethrone Lord Wyatt and change everything back to the way it should be," Lena answered.

"And that's your destiny?" Paige prompted, her eyes going wide with the repercussions and risks of such a move.

"So you joining Wyatt's ranks while I fought against him, those decisions brought us here," Chris said thoughtfully.

"It is nice to know there was a plan behind all that, some sort of bigger picture."

"The greater good," Phoebe put in.

"Okay, but where did this sudden epiphany come from? Just the premonition?" Chris questioned.

"No," Phoebe said. "All of the Halliwells with the power of premonition were somehow summoned to us. The Phoebe from this time was there, she spoke to us."

"You saw your mom?" Chris whispered, watching Lena carefully. She nodded, eyes filling with tears.

"Lena, she said some things… about some people… that I didn't really understand. Care to elaborate?" Phoebe asserted.

The youngest Halliwell regarded her mother silently for a moment and then shook her head. "It's late, and we're going to need our instincts to be sharp tomorrow, we should all get some sleep. I'll explain everything in the morning, I promise."

* * *

**2025**

_Lena's hands hovered over the Book of Shadows. She stood in the most sacred Altar Room in Wyatt's headquarters. The Book sat on a pedestal in the place of highest esteem, a light shining on it from above. Surrounding her were shelves filled with magical texts, most stolen from Magic School, and the others had belonged to earlier Source's. _

_She was technically __**allowed**__ to be there, but only to look at the Book, not release its seal so Chris could summon it to the Manor and escape to the past. But as long as she did not get caught…_

_Sucking in a breath, she checked her watch one more time, waiting for the little hand to hit the twelve. The watch struck the time, and Lena immediately began to recite a spell in an ancient language. Simultaneously, Chris was saying the spell to call the Book to the Manor._

_As she finished, the Book disappeared into thin air. Lena breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to leave. She stopped short when she felt strong hands grabbing her arms. She twisted her body and saw numerous demons standing around her and two clutching onto her. They were all upper-level, all stronger than she was. _

_'Be careful,' Cole warned. He sounded nervous, even within the confines of her mind._

_"What are you doing, witch?" they demanded as the two holding her spun her around to face them. _

_"Let go of me!" she ordered. She tried her intangibility to phase through their grip, but something blocked her. It seemed as if the demons themselves were magical blocks._

_"She released the seal on the witch Book!" one of the demons shouted. She struggled again, wanting more than anything to escape. She tried to attack the demons, but they twisted her arms back and remained invulnerable. _

_"Get Master Wyatt," another demon ordered the ones crowding the doorway. "He'll want to question this traitor himself."_

_Lena finally managed to blast fire in one of the demons' face, knocking him backward and releasing her right arm. She wrenched her left free and began attacking with all she had, quickly realizing that her demonic powers were inactive against them, but her witch powers worked just fine. _

_She spun on the last four demons who had yet to fall, and stopped suddenly when she felt something cold and smooth snap onto her right wrist. Behind her stood Wyatt, his face covered in anger. He ordered a pair of demons to grab onto her, dragging her roughly from the room. Lena began to panic as her magic no longer responded, and the wristband told her exactly why. _

_Wyatt had restricted her powers._

_"Wyatt!" she screeched as he walked behind her and the demons. "You are a coward!"_

_He did not respond, and she soon found herself in the dungeons, being thrown into a cell. Wyatt followed her in and she shuddered as he approached her with rage, Excalibur appearing in his outstretched hand. _

_"Why did you release the seal on the Book?" he demanded, throwing her against the wall. She refused to answer, and so he slammed her into the other wall, finding the sound of her body crumpling to the ground oddly satisfying. _

_He grabbed her physically by the neck and pushed her against the wall, leaning in so their faces nearly touched. She would have kicked him or attacked, but he held her body immobile with magic. "Where has Chris gone?" he yelled in her face. "Where?! Tell me!"_

_"I will tell you nothing!" Lena shouted back defiantly. Wyatt stepped back from her, swinging Excalibur and slicing a large gash across her collarbone. He let her fall, and she immediately put her hands to the quickly bleeding cut. Blood dripping from her hands, she stared at Wyatt as if she had never seen him before. "You don't scare me," she hissed. "I'm not afraid to die."_

_"I have no intention of killing you, dear cousin. There are so many more useful things I could do with you. But you will tell me where Chris is!"_

_"No. I will not. But why should I have to? Shouldn't Wyatt the All-Knowing be able to find weak little Christopher all on his own? What do you need me for? Or could it be that the All-Powerful Twice-Blessed Prophesized Child has run out of answers? Has been outsmarted by one little witchlighter." The sword slashed again, slicing through her abdomen, but as she doubled over in pain she managed to laugh; a maniacal cackle that infuriated Wyatt all the more._

_"You owe me, Lena. You will tell me where he is, now!"_

_"I do not owe you anything! You have broken every promise you ever made to me, Wyatt!"_

_"You will not speak to me that way!" She found herself tossed against the wall one more time, her ribs cracking as she made contact. She fell unmoving to the ground once more, her hands balled into fists, but her heart light._

_'If I push him more he'll kill me! Finally!' she thought._

_'No he won't,' Cole said solemnly. _

_Wyatt continued to attack his younger cousin mercilessly until she finally fell unconscious. He leaned over her and healed her injuries just enough to wake her up. She glanced around as if disappointed. "Drink this," Wyatt commanded, holding a goblet filled with a dark liquid._

_"No," Lena responded. Wyatt just shrugged and held her body in place magically, opened her mouth, and tipped the goblet's contents into it. He forced her to swallow, enjoying the look of fear that passed quickly in her eyes._

_Her body began to shake violently, and even though Wyatt had removed her immobility she could not fight back if she wanted to. Her eyes rolled back in her head as Wyatt held her and waited. He could literally see the potion working its way through her veins, as it moved beneath the skin. The potion seemed to gather on the underside of her right wrist, spinning around the triquetra, and all at once she screamed._

_Her eyes; open now, were black and soulless. "Lena?" Wyatt asked carefully. _

_Cole's presence absorbed the evil and a moment later Lena's eyes turned back to their normal teal. But her strength had faded and without Wyatt's magic holding her up, she collapsed. He stared at her in disdain before turning and leaving her, bloodied and broken on the ground. _

_But she had proven a useful distraction for Chris. Wyatt had focused his attention on her rather than Chris and now Chris was gone and Wyatt had no way of knowing where he went, and Lena wasn't telling._

_

* * *

_

The artificial sun shining brightly through conjured windows outlined Lena as she sat silently at the kitchen table. Her hands were wrapped tightly around a mug that read "Ask Phoebe, She Has All The Answers" in bold gold lettering, steam drifting off the top of the conjured coffee. It never occurred to her how much of her life revolved around magic until now. She was in a magic house, looking out at a magical landscape, and drinking magical coffee. It seemed forever ago that she went to public school and wrote essays about George Washington. The big Halliwell family dinners and family parties with games, love, and belonging seemed to belong in someone else's life, not hers.

She thought back on the years she spent at Wyatt's side. She attended meetings with him, reading the minds of his 'supporters' and turning in the traitors – and the occasional ally, just to stick it to him. She had been forced to live in his headquarters until she proved herself trustworthy enough to leave, at the same time he put her in command of a demonic army to give her more independence.

She exercised her independence by making connections within the magical world. She befriended magical creatures of all kinds, especially the valkyries and water sprites, with which she shared ancestors. She assisted the Resistance to the best of her ability, and eventually became close friends with fellow spy Bianca.

Bianca…

She had watched as Wyatt ensnared Bianca back into his world with lies and deceptions; unable to do anything to stop it. Lena recognized her desperation as she prepared to strip Chris' powers and bring her forcibly back to Wyatt; if only to save his life. What she did not count on were Wyatt's promises always proving empty, and Chris' own innate stubbornness and dedication to his mission. Somewhere along the line Wyatt had become the most important person in both Chris and Lena's lives, with different goals and for vastly different reasons. When Chris escaped to the past once more, Wyatt had his fiancée healed.

But with Wyatt it could never just end there, he imposed a mental block in her mind to prevent her from being Bianca anymore. He turned her into one more drone in his ranks. Then, to add insult to injury, something Wyatt seemed to love, he assigned her to Lena's army. He could not have been more smug unless he put a big 'Ha. Ha. Ha.' on a sign and taped it to her forehead. What he did not count on was Lena's superior telepathic skill. His came from an advancement of whitelighter sensing, while Lena's was a true ability.

So she circumvented his block and released Bianca whenever she dared, having scattered moments with her closest friend to do what she did best: conspire against Wyatt. With Chris safely away, Lena and her most intimate friends planned the grandest mutiny the world – magical or mortal – had ever seen.

But now he was back, and he would have to know what she was up to – everything she had kept from him: Cole, the mutiny… but not Bianca. She made Lena swear she would never tell Chris what happened to her. She felt him believing her dead strengthened his resolve to change the world; made him think that even if he went to the future he could never be with her; so things had to change.

Her mind wandered to the premonition that had kept her with Wyatt's regime after her father's murder.

**"I have had enough of you two trying to undermine my empire!" Wyatt roared. Chris and Lena stood side-by-side, held in place by Wyatt's demon henchmen, their chins upraised in defiance. "You are both traitors, not only to me, but to your entire family. And I will deal with you as I do with any traitors." Sensing that he was ending his speech, Chris and Lena kicked out from the demons who restrained them, kicking and fighting as best they could. A few moments later and it was just the three Halliwells, facing off against each other for the last time.**

**Wyatt shook his head in distaste and fired up an energy ball in his right palm. Chris and Lena stood uncertainly, not able to escape, and not sure of what to do next. Suddenly Wyatt launched a barrage of attacks at his brother; his eyes narrowed in anger. Not knowing what else to do, Lena screamed Chris' name and jumped in the way of the magical assault, allowing it to collide with her. **

**Her body hit the ground with a sickening thud, and Wyatt laughed as she bled her last. "You're next, Christopher."**

"Hey," a voice said from behind her. Lena shifted in her seat to find Chris watching her sadly from the doorway.

"Good morning," Lena responded, trying her best to look happy despite all of the thoughts rolling around in her head, and the looming dread hanging over their heads.

"You didn't happen to conjure some breakfast, did you?" Chris questioned with a mischievous smile as he sat down across from her.

"Not yet, I was waiting for our guests from the past."

"Well I guess I'll wait for them too," Chris said.

"I'm sorry," Lena whispered.

"About waiting for breakfast? I'm not that hungry…"

"No… for before, yelling at you and making you feel guilty and everything. This isn't your fault, none of it is. It's just… it's been hard, that's all," she finished, eyes downcast, staring at the dark coffee as if it could erase the last few years, set everything right again.

"Apology accepted," he sighed. He stared at Lena silently for a moment, taking in the lines on her face that he did not recognize. While in the past he had tried not to think about the people he left behind in his world but to focus solely on the task at hand. He had believed he would go insane wondering on what might be happening to them, on what his actions might have cost them. He realized now that he was right. Not only had Bianca, his love, been forced back to Wyatt's side, doing God-knows-what to curry his favor, but his cousin, the last real family he had had clearly suffered as well. He studied her closely, she wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top that looked suspiciously like something in Phoebe's closet from 2004. And because of the shirt's cut, Chris could see a long scar that stretched across Lena's collarbone. "How'd that happen?" he asked, pointing to it.

Lena shrugged. "It's not important." His expression showed that he would not budge on this. Used to his particular brand of stubbornness, Lena answered. "When I released the spell that kept the Book at Wyatt's castle so you could use it to go to the past, he found out about it. He was pretty mad for a while." She seemed unaffected by it; by the beating and warnings he had inflicted on her, but it had been a year, and those things happened all too frequently in Wyatt's world. "So how was it in the past?" she asked. "I see you changed your mind about telling them your identity."

"Well, I took the 'future consequences' mantra and secretive behavior thing a little too far and ended up kicked out of the Manor," he began thoughtfully. Lena looked upset, so he quickly steered the conversation somewhere better. "But then good old Phoebe figured out who I was, and I realized that there was a good chance I might not be conceived because of unforeseen consequences… Anyway, mom and dad got back together, she got pregnant, and I got to get to know everyone all over again."

Lena gave Chris one of the first genuine smiles he had seen on her face since he returned, and he smiled back at her. "But you know… it hasn't been all fun and games, I've been working overtime trying to find who turned Wyatt, and then when I thought I knew… well, you get the picture."

He paused for a moment, contemplating a way to get another smile, and maybe a laugh out of her. "Oh, and I made out with your cousin, Mist," he added.

"Christopher!" she chastised, smiling broadly. "You can't 'make out' with Valkyries!" Lena's father's family had tried to avoid intermarriage as much as possible on the small isle in Greece they originated from. So, they often ended up having children with magical beings. Mist was her very distant cousin, and had been the Valkyrie Lena went to for support after Wyatt seized the warriors from Valhalla.

"Yeah, got her to trap Leo in Valhalla," Chris laughed at the memory. Sure he felt badly about the way he treated Leo now, but when he thought of it as his father… well, his father deserved worse than an island of warrior women.

"You did? Bet he was pissed!"

"Yeah, threw me into a bookcase! Although, watching Paige and Phoebe defend me to him – it was worth it just to see that look on his face."

"So I take it you and him still don't get along well? Nothing new there…" she whistled softly.

"No, actually we really… connected I guess. He broke me out of jail, used memory dust on someone to cover for me, he even came to the future to make sure I got to where I was supposed to be – said he wouldn't be able to sleep well if he didn't know for sure," Chris explained fondly.

Lena smiled but this time it seemed smaller, sadder. She paused a beat, and then finally said something. "So, did my mom hit on you?"

Chris burst out laughing at the seriously posed question, leaning back in his chair in a fit of giggles. "I'm gonna take that as a yes," Lena decided, only making him laugh harder. "Stop laughing! It's not that funny!" Lena said, getting up and smacking him lightly on the arm. He smiled between laughs, and accidentally knocked her feet out from under her, sending one of the most powerful witches in the world falling on top of him. Chris fell out of his chair and the pair crashed to the floor in helpless giggles.

Paige and Phoebe watched the cousins laugh as they tried to get back up and shared a smile. They had never seen Chris act like this before. Sure he had his moments, especially after they thought they saved Wyatt, but seeing him with his cousin, laughing and rolling on the floor, they felt as if they had been given a vision of what the future would be like once they changed it.

And just like that the moment ended.

"Lena," Chris said seriously once they got their laughter under control.

"Yeah?" she asked, feeling happier and freer than she had in a long time.

"Come back with me."

"What?" she asked, surprised as she climbed off of the floor and stood by the chair.

"Come back to the past. I don't want to leave you here again."

"Chris, that's your destiny, that's your mission. Mine is here. It always will be, it always has been."

"What, is that like written in the stars somewhere or something? If we go back and save Wyatt then it won't matter that you didn't stop him here, it'll be done, over."

"I have to do this, Chris. I've spent years preparing for it, I have to go through with it now. If only to see the look on Wyatt's face when he's finally helpless. After all he's done to me – all he's done to us, I have to stop him!"

"Lena…" he paused, thinking. "Okay, you have to do what you have to do. You have to do what I can't do."

"This is the way it's supposed to be," she said desperately. "And I'm not going to kill him, I'm just going to take away his powers, take away the only reason he's gotten control over the world." She took a deep breath, and then added. "Mom and Paige have been standing there long enough, it's time to get down to business. But first, breakfast." She waved her hands and every breakfast food imaginable appeared on the kitchen table.

* * *

"So why hasn't Wyatt attacked or something?" Paige asked. "I mean, he obviously knows that you broke Chris out, and he's gotta be mad about that. So why is he just letting us all hang out here?"

"Wyatt enjoys a good game," Lena said. "He thinks that he has everything under control. We won't be able to get to the Manor, so he knows you're trapped here, and even if we found a way, you would need to take Aunt Piper with you. So now he's just waiting to see what we'll do. He thinks this is fun."

"Great," Paige sighed.

"Okay, now we have to get back to the whole destiny thing we were talking about last night," Phoebe announced. "Lena, I need you to tell me why my older self mentioned Cole."

"Cole…" Lena whispered, eyes downcast for a moment. "Well, should I tell her?" she asked, though her question was not asked to anyone standing before her.

_"Sure,"_ Cole replied to her.

"All right… to make a long story short, Cole is… he's like… he's sort of…"

"I thought you said you were going to make this story short?" Chris interrupted with a sarcastic smile.

"Well you see… Cole and I… he's my…"

"You're not like **together** are you?!" Phoebe demanded, horrified.

"What?! No! Not like that! I don't know how we'd be able to anyway… considering… we like share the same body."

Paige, Phoebe, and Chris all shared identical perplexed expressions. "Okay, remember in that memory you saw when Wyatt stabbed me with the cursed athame." They nodded. "Well when that happened my spirit left my body and I met Cole for the first time. He'd been trapped in the spirit realm for… like ever. Anyway, because my body had been infused with evil, it my spirit just when back in I would have turned evil. Instead, I said a spell and bound Cole's soul to mine. That way, when I went back into my body he was able to prevent the evil from corrupting me, and since the evil recognized him I received the powers he had when he was a demon. Does any of that make sense?"

"So that's how you've been holding up so well against Wyatt," Chris said. "So why exactly am I just finding out about this now?"

"He thought it would be best if I didn't tell anyone… and I knew it would creep you out. But the point is, that Cole has been helping me work out a plan to stop Wyatt. I trust him."

"So what plan is this?" Chris asked.

Lena lifted her right hand above the table and Chris watched as an athame slid out from beneath her skin and into her hand. She turned the weapon over, holding it out to Chris by the blade. He took it slowly, staring at the engraving, remembering how he had last seen the weapon in Phoebe's hands. "Where did you get this?" he asked.

"My mom left it to me in her will," she explained. He glanced up at her briefly in surprise before continuing to inspect the weapon, awe in his eyes.

"It's been strengthened," he said matter-of-factly as he rolled it over in his fingertips. The power emanating from it was strong and intoxicating, and it was only the magical seal that reserved its full used to Lena that prevented Chris from being swept away by it. "The original would have exploded before it absorbed this much energy." Lena nodded along with this assessment. "And you placed an ownership spell over it, that was smart. But I don't see how this is going to help you against Wyatt," he decided, handing it back to her.

"You missed one key thing in your 'assessment' Chris. I altered the athame's power, now it channels the magic to me rather than keep it in itself. I figure all I need to do if perform the spell to extract the Source from Wyatt, and then this baby can steal away his powers, give them to me for safe keeping," Lena explained, toying with the athame.

"That's your brilliant plan?" Chris laughed. Lena stared at him, hurt. "That's never going to work, Lena. You think Wyatt's just going to let you take the Source's power from him? You think you're strong enough to make that spell work alone? Power of Three, Lena, not one," Chris added, his expression stormy as he imagine Lena trying this plan, as he imagined her failing, one more victim of Wyatt's regime. Then again, Wyatt had ways of punishing people that were far more effective than just killing them, and that thought made Chris' skin crawl.

"It's not a Power of Three spell, Chris!" Lena protested, slamming the athame against the table and standing, facing Chris across the table. "It's a legacy spell! The barriers between this world and the next have been thinned, Phoebe's and my magic was strong enough to call my mom, to call all the others! You don't think I could do that, that I could call them with the legacy spell? This athame was blessed by the Power of Three from the past, so in turn it amps me up, it lets me perform stronger magic than I would've been able to before. Besides, you think I'm an idiot, that I haven't thought this out? This is going to work, Chris, this has to work!"

"And what if it doesn't?" Chris asked quietly.

She didn't answer at first, just picked up the athame again, studying it, imagining what it would feel like tearing into her flesh, stabbing into her heart.

"No. _No_," Chris said coldly, picking up on what she was planning.

"I won't live like this anymore. I won't do what Wyatt wants me to, not that. If I can't stop him, then it's all on you, Chris," she said coldly. Her eyes bored into his, an unnaturally dark teal that had Chris double-taking on the image. He tried to picture _his_ Lena, the little girl he had wanted so much to protect, the little girl he believed no longer existed. He imagined her trapped, locked away and staring out from behind those eyes, staring at Chris and pleading with him to let her out, to save her, to _do something._ And he knew in that moment that it really was all _on him._ Even if Lena succeeded, even if the world was changed, how could he live in that place? How could he live with this woman, this insult to the little girl he grew up with, when it was in his power to change it?

He remained lost in his dark thoughts for another moment, and then looked up to see Lena watching him. Her eyes had lightened, her features more relaxed, and for just an instant Chris thought he saw her, five-year-old Lena standing beside a blue bike _("You'll hold on, won't you Chris? You're not going to let me fall?")_ staring at him in confusion, her expression a response to his thoughts. And he thought he could hear a voice in his head whispering, ("What are you thinking? I'm here, I'm right here, I've always been here.")

"We both have to do whatever we can," he said quietly. _(The bike swerved and she toppled over, hitting the pavement and crying. "You let go! I thought you said you would hold on!")_ "We owe it to ourselves to see this thing through, don't we?"

"Yes, yes we do," Lena sighed. "And Chris – I know this will work."

"Then you're probably right," he responded, watching her closely. She smiled briefly at him and he thought he saw little Lena peeking out from behind her eyes. _("Don't let go this time, okay?") _Maybe he was wrong, maybe that little girl still existed somewhere inside of the woman she had become, maybe with some coaxing she could come out someday, in a world where she didn't need the harsh exterior, the lies and the pain. Maybe he could help create a world where she never needed to that hard mask n the first place. _("Hold on, hold on! Don't let me go!")_

_I could never let you go, sweetie,_ Chris thought, and in his mind he hugged that little girl close to him, held on with all he could.

* * *

**A/N: That chapter ran away from me, ended up different than I was planning. But I like it anyway.**

**I would love to know what you thought.**

**Till next time,**

**_Ada_**


	17. A Time for Action

**A/N: I really, really, really apologize for waiting so long between updates. I usually don't like to list excuses, but I just graduated with my bachelor's degree, and my senior year was a mess of thesis writing, overwork, and trying to enjoy campus for the last time. Anyway, I'm back with it now, and the good news is we've reached my most difficult chapters. After this and 18 it's all smooth sailing and I have most of the rest already written. So, I'm not abandoning it, and thank you to everyone who's still interested enough to be reading this! And by the way, my other Charmed fic _Repercussions _has been recently updated, so if you're not reading it, then check it out!**

* * *

**Bound By Blood**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 17: A Time for Action

_  
This world may have failed you  
It doesn't give the reason why  
You could have chosen  
A different path of life__  
_"Angels" Within Temptation

* * *

"Who's involved in this plan, anyway?" Chris asked, following Lena down the hallway towards the Vault.

"Just about everybody who hates Wyatt's empire," Lena responded. "I have witches, demons, water sprites, valkyries, fairies, wood nymphs, and…" Lena paused, unsure if she should continue.

"And?" Chris pressed.

"An elder."

"That's impossible, there's only one Elder left and he's… oh…" Chris trailed off uncomfortably, realizing what Lena was saying.

"He still doesn't really trust me," Lena said. "But he knows that Wyatt is wrong, that Wyatt has to be stopped. And Chris… we need him for this, after Wyatt's taken down, we need an Elder to be able to set everything right again. He's the only one, it has to be him. Trust me, I wish it were somebody else, but it's just not…"

"Whatever Lena, I don't want to talk about it okay," Chris said. "We need a plan to get mom out of Wyatt's hold so we can get her home."

"I've been thinking about that. I have a couple ideas, but they involve giving up our advantage. Wyatt will know that we know the truth about what happened to him when he was little. He'll know that we figured it out, that you know exactly what you have to stop in the past, and I'm not sure it's quite the time to reveal that Ace."

"But does Wyatt really consider Gideon's actions the reason he is who he is today?"

"I think he does. Wyatt knows that he would have turned into a witch like his mother, like you, if it hadn't been for the Elder 'opening his eyes' as it were. Gideon showed him that the paragons of good can be capable of acts of evil. It must have stripped away all of the illusions he had of the greater good and the duty of witches. How could he watch as they sacrificed everything, their time, their lives, to do what the Elders told them, to fight demons and protect the humans, without Gideon always being in the back of his mind, making him doubt all of it?"

"He sure makes a lot more sense now, doesn't he?" Chris asked thoughtfully as Lena pressed her hand against the wall and the Vault quivered to life, the door opening for them.

"Doesn't change what he's done," Lena murmured. "Doesn't change who he turned into. He had free will, he could've become what he should've, he could've been good and loving. Instead he let himself become a monster," she spoke with scathing bitterness.

"There's still good in him, Lena. He just can't find it."

"That's what you believe Chris, and that's fine. But I don't believe it, I just can't anymore, not after everything, not after this past year. The Wyatt I once cared about is gone, all that's left is a monster with his face. But it's worse than that, because he still remembers being that person, he still chose what he became. It would be better if something had taken him over, if he were really gone."

"Yeah well once I get back to the past none of it will have happened, Wyatt will be put right again."

Lena paused, standing with her back to Chris, facing a wall of books she wasn't really looking at. Her body stiffened and Chris knew she was about to say something he did not want to hear. "What if he doesn't change?" she said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"On some level he chose this, didn't he?" she asked, spinning to face him. "What if no matter what his life is like or how many Elders who are awesome role models he sees he still chooses this?"

"He won't."

"You don't know that."

"You're the one spouting off about destiny and things being thrown off, you should know this better than anyone!" Chris protested, unable to understand why she was contradicting herself now.

"I just… I'm scared Chris, okay. I'm scared that after all of the effort and all of the work and all of the sacrifice, all of it will just be in vain."

"Don't be," Chris said softly, pulling her into a warm embrace, wishing that just holding her would make her feel better, that things could be that simple again. He stroked her dark hair with his right hand, her head pressed against his chest.

"It's becoming so hard to think clearly," she admitted. "Darkness is encroaching from all sides, and I feel like I'm losing myself to it. Cole has been trying to help, but even he can't take it anymore, the evil's too strong, too easy to give in to, and if I don't stop Wyatt soon then I won't ever be able to again."

"Have you tried to 'see' what will happen?" Chris asked, her curls tickling his chin, unconsciously pulling her closer.

"The future is obscured, I can't even see past this moment into the next."

_("I tried to see what would happen, but I can't. You will get to the past safely, but anything past that… it's too obscure.")_

"That's not anything new," he sighed. The past five years had been filled with shadows and darkness, and prophesizing had never been a more difficult task.

"Please don't hate me when you go back," she cried.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can feel your feelings, I know your thoughts, I know you don't love me like you used to, I know you can barely bring yourself to like me most of the time."

"God Lena, no, that's not how I feel at all," he protested, stepping out of the embrace, grasping her arms with his hands and staring straight into her eyes. "Out of everyone in the whole world, you're the only person who really knows what all of this has been like for me, you're the only one I share that bond with, the only person who I could ever be my real self with. But when I left before, I promised myself that the next time I saw you, everything would be different, _you _would be different. And now… coming back here, seeing how much worse everything has become… it's just such a failure for me. And sometimes… sometimes when I look at you I just feel like… like I don't know you anymore, but it's a momentary thing, Lena. I just want things to be the way they used to be, I want us to be like we used to be. And I'm scared too, I'm scared all the time. But I do love you, don't doubt that."

"I love you too," she sighed, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. The she smiled and shook her head. "God look at us, you would have thought we wasted all of these dramatic scenes the last time you were leaving for the past."

"The last time I… Oh my God, Lena! The mausoleum!" he shouted suddenly, eyes lighting up. Lena stared at him, then her eyes grew wide.

"The mausoleum! Of course!" She snatched a book from the shelf and then shoved Chris out the door, intent on filling Paige and Phoebe in on this sudden revelation.

* * *

"Spirits give off their own energy, and are forever connected to their remains," Lena said quietly, as if in respect for the spirits she spoke of. Phoebe and Paige watched her with rapt attention, wondering how it came to be that they would be tutored by their future daughter/niece, and nephew.

"So, graveyards dampen magic, they hide it," Chris added.

"That's why Cole hid from the other demons in the mausoleum," Phoebe pointed out.

"So we're going to travel to the past from a graveyard?" Paige asked.

"Not just any graveyard," Chris began. "From the Halliwell mausoleum. Where else could we find the last remains of people more powerful?"

"This is so creepy," Paige sighed.

"Maybe, but it's your only chance to get home," Chris pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Yeah well this is all well and good and everything, but we still need to get Piper first," Paige pointed out sullenly. "Any ideas on that front?"

"Wyatt won't give her up easily," Chris sighed. "He'll want a trade, and there's a few things I can think of that he'd maybe want more than Mom."

"If you're thinking of trading yourself for Piper then just forget about it," Paige interrupted. "No one is sacrificing themselves here, we'll find a different way!"

"No offense Paige, but we're running out of time here, we have to get to Mom, we have to get you all back to the past, I'm not seeing a whole hell of a lot of options here," Chris protested.

"I don't care, you are not going to give in to Wyatt, we didn't come here to save you just to leave you with him," Phoebe input angrily.

"Well then tell me what you suggest we do," Chris huffed.

"There… there's a way… I know something Wyatt wants more then Chris…" Lena whispered uncomfortably, staring at the floor before opening her mouth to speak again, eyes staring at anything besides the faces around her.

* * *

Wyatt sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he telekinetically tossed the door to his 'quarters' open. Kaila was waiting for him. Lying on top of the satin sheets on the bed, her red hair spilled out in curls over the pillow cases and her legs peeked out from underneath a sheer negligee, making them appear to go on forever.

"Rough day?" she asked, sliding onto the floor, padding towards him on bare feet.

"Definitely," he responded, allowing her to lead him to the bed, manicured nails red against lily white skin. He stared at her face for a moment, the round cheeks that gave her an innocent look, but the dark green eyes that showed her true self. Kaila could be just as vicious as him, indeed that quality first attracted him to her.

An unremarkable witch, Kaila turned to cowardly tactics, hiding while others fought and then picking off the winner from behind just when they let their guard down. She did not have to worry about vanquishing anymore once she showed Wyatt where her true talents lied. On long nights when all Wyatt could do was ponder on things he would rather forget, her comforting weight and presence always helped lull him to sleep. She was beautiful, the kind of beautiful that caught every man's eye and that caused challenges and rivalries. But no one dared stare at her too long now that she lived with Wyatt, for no one dared defy him.

"You know, I remember my mother being a lot more pleasant than this 2004 woman," Wyatt said as Kaila rubbed the tension out of his shoulders.

"Why keep her here, Wyatt?" she questioned, her voice smooth.

"Curiosity? I want to see what my brother and cousin will cook up for her rescue. I let them think that I plan to 'turn' my baby brother when he's born," Wyatt let out a humorless laugh. "You should've heard the panic in their voices. They're planning something, you just wait and see."

"You should just kill them and be done with it. They've caused such trouble in the past," she sulked.

"Maybe you're right. But I can't kill Lena just yet, and you very well know that," Wyatt pointed out. Kaila was one of the few people in his life who he allowed to speak almost freely with him. It was nice every now and again to know how someone _really_ felt about him.

"You don't need _her_ for that!" she said, disgust heavy in her tone. "Wyatt please, let me do this, I swear to you, I'm capable of it! Please allow me to carry out this most important task for you!"

Wyatt turned to face her, the sheets slippery beneath him. "You know you can't. Lena is the most powerful woman in the world, she is the only one who I would have do this, she is the only person capable of mothering my child."

"But Wyatt! I _want_ to! She doesn't! She hates you, she just pretends to care for you, and she refuses you at every step!" she shouted, tears springing in her eyes.

"You think I don't know that?" Wyatt laughed. "She's stubborn, always has been, it's an unfortunate genetic trait, but even Lena knows when she's run out of options. I want an heir, Kaila. Because you're right, I can't hope that my family will come around, I need to make my own family. I need someone who hasn't already been poisoned against me. Unfortunately dear, I am incredibly powerful, and there's no guarantee that you could carry my child, that the child wouldn't prove too strong for you, wouldn't destroy you and itself."

"But Lena is a stronger witch, that's what it always comes down to, isn't it?" Kaila sputtered. "But Wyatt, dearest, she wasn't always that strong! If only I could find out her secret, discover how she did this, then I could be--!"

"No, you couldn't. Her strength runs in her blood. The parlor tricks she picked up from who-knows-where aren't what really matters. Besides, she's been… difficult… lately. After the baby's born, I don't think I'll be needing her around anymore," Wyatt shrugged. Kaila seemed a bit happier at that suggestion.

"I knew you didn't love her, not like you love me," Kaila said she ran her fingers through his long curls.

Wyatt laughed gruffly at her words. Love? Did he love Kaila? He never really thought about it. Like everything else in his life she was a useful commodity, something that brought him pleasure. But if he tired of her, he could not imagine having second thoughts about disposing of her.

"Do you know what gives whitelighters the power to heal?" he asked her.

"No," she answered honestly, wishing she could see his face, but his back remained to her.

"Love," he said slowly. "Love activates it. I've always hated that aspect of that particular power. But I have some love in me, a tiny bit, and it's reserved for a certain few."

"Who would that be?"

"My mother, and not the detestable woman down the hall, the woman who raised me, who favored me over my brother, the other would be my father. The rest is split between my brother and my cousin. I've given the two of them so many chances."

"You've been more than generous Wyatt," Kaila said, trying to mask her disappointment at not being named in the list of people Wyatt loved.

"If Lena reacts as I expect her to – if she comes to me, offers herself to me, I'll let Piper go. I'll send her and her sisters back to the past through the attic of the Manor, then seal the gateway once and for all."

"What about Chris?"

"I can't expect Lena to make Chris part of the deal, she'd never do that, of course Chris would gladly offer himself in exchange for mommy-dearest, so I'll just have to accept both of their proposals. I win, they lose, simple as that."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out."

"Baby, I – as always – am holding all of the cards."

"Well if you're right – as always – then you should get some rest, so you can foil whatever plans Lena and Chris are working on in the morning," she said with a smile.

He climbed into bed with her, intending to do just that, but as her bare thighs pressed against his legs, Wyatt knew they weren't really going to sleep for quite a while. And Kaila smiled that smile that meant she was ready to give him whatever he desired, and so he took what he wanted.

* * *

Her mouth closed just after she opened it. She never explained anything, just stood and turned her back to them, wandering out into the living room. Chris watched her, noticed the tenseness of the muscles in her back and shoulders, the way she stared resolutely ahead and knew whatever Lena was up to he would never approve of. He stood to follow her but then Phoebe's hand was on his arm and she was shaking her head.

"What?" Chris asked impatiently, trying to throw her off.

"She's determined, I can feel it," Phoebe said quietly.

"Yeah well I can _see_ it and trust me when I tell you that a determined Lena is not a good thing." He shook off Phoebe's grip and chased after Lena. Paige and Phoebe exchanged glances before running after their errant relatives.

* * *

"It's now or never, isn't it?" Lena whispered fearfully to Cole as she headed for the Grandfather clock in the entranceway of her home.

_"Seems like it,"_ Cole responded in her mind. _"Piper needs to get back to the past before Wyatt does something crazy, and the way I see it, there's only one way to get her back and him distracted long enough for reinforcements to take over the castle."_

"Yeah, you're right. Today's the day, this is it," Lena whispered fearfully, her eyes darkening. Within her mind Cole tried to reassure her, and remind her that she had worked for eight years towards this.

"What are you talking about?" Chris demanded as he caught up with her. The sound of orbs coalescing behind him had Chris spinning around. A moment later, Leo solidified and stared guiltily at his younger son. "What are **you** doing here?"

"He knows… he knows it's time…" Lena explained vaguely. "You need to go back to 2004, Chris. You have your mission, and I have mine. At least one of us has to succeed."

"You still haven't answered my question, why is Leo here?"

"He's the only Elder left, we'll need him to restore things to the way they should be once it's finished."

"Okay, can everybody stop speaking in riddles, please? I for one would love to know what's going on here," Paige butted in.

"Why tell you when I can show you?" Lena asked, a spark in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She reached the grandfather clock and pushed her hand against the glass. The hands began to spin wildly and then a series of chimes went off, booming throughout the house.

"Stand back," Lena told them. Leo stood awkwardly away from the group as a series of lights shone before them. Where the lights glowed people began to appear – witches, demons, valkyries, water sprites, nymphs, faeries – all other manners of magical beings converged into the entryway. They stared at Lena expectantly.

"Lena what is going on?" Chris hissed.

"We're," she gestured to the crowd, "going to distract Wyatt while you and Aunt Paige and my mom get Aunt Piper back and go to the past."

"And how exactly do you plan to go about doing that?"

"I have it all figured out."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, little cliffhanger there. I'm a bit nervous about this post, and if anyone's feeling a bit uncomfortable I'd just like you to know that I would never do anything really terrible to my characters, okay? Cool. Let me know what you thought. The next chapter should be up on Friday.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Ada**


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